The Coronavirus Pandemic Is A Crisis Now Obvious To All

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First time caller. So glad to get a chance to support Chris and his work (it’s been a long time of freeloading off Chris’s media appearances and I just think of all the commentators out there he is the most responsible and reasoned in his statements of anyone).
 
Anyway, the N95 masks are as sold out in my area as anywhere but I notice the hardware stores have tons of painters respirators available. They have ratings like P95 and P100.
 
It happens that Ive wanted to buy one for a while anyway, but I’m wondering if there is any sense putting it on for virus protection as well. These things seem better sealed by design anyway.
 
I don’t see much mention of them here which makes me think Ive got the wrong idea. But other websites like this make it sound like N R and P are just ratings related to oil particles and length of life.
 
https://www.majorsafety.com/blogs/news/whats-the-difference-between-an-n95-and-r95-respirator
 
Thanks so much for any feedback.
 

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N, R and P stand for the type of chemicals and solvents they filter. 95 and 100 stand for the percent of the contaminate they filter out.
Respirators are an option, though they are expensive. Most are offered with the bigger oblong canister which are rated for acids/oil vapors/ solvents/ along with organic particles. Doing a little reading I came to the conclusion that for this virus we can probably get away with the small round pad filters like these. They use those for mold removal, so I’m guessing they will work with this virus.
(fingers crossed)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KYX8JBU/
Those are a lot cheaper.
I ordered a couple of respirators, just the mask without filters, last week from Amazon but I’m beginning to think the seller shafted me. Problems with their fulfillment are being talked about in their reviews. No tracking info on my order either. Also bought 9 pairs of the particle filters from another company, those just showed up.
I’m going to wait til the tomorrow and if I don’t have any news I’m going to pick up two respirators.
To clarify, I’ve got N95 paper masks as my main public protection for day to day, but will use the respirator if I get into a situation where I’m dealing with a highly infectious environment, like treating someone ill or removing a dead body.
If I get it myself, then I’m going to wear on of the cheaper surgical masks to prevent my coughs from spreading it, and save the N95 masks for after I’m well.

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I just bought one of these with some extra filters:

3M 6000 Series Reusable Half Face Respirator with 3M 2097 P100 Particulate Filters

the product description states:
    • Use for welding, lead and asbestos abatement, silica and concrete dust, and general particulate protection.
    • A reusable alternative to the 3M 8210 Disposable N95 Respirators in reducing exposure to airborne hazards, including bioaerosols.
  • Half-face respirator can be disassembled, cleaned and reused easily.
  • Includes reclosable storage bag. Extending use and saving even more.
  • Very light-weight and features easy to adjust head straps.
  • Choose Small, Medium, or Large Half Face Respirator Mask. Most people will fit the Medium; you'll know if you need the small or large based on past experience.
cost was ~$25 last weekend, but I see that it has gone up to $33 today at the place I ordered if from. I've used half face respirators in a laboratory setting (to avoid arsenic dust exposure) for many years, and believe you can get a much better fit than with common N95 masks. You can perform a negative and positive pressure test to see if you have a good fit and adjust the straps to get a good fit. It seems to me the N95 masks should be used if you are sick and want to lower the chance of infecting other people, but for preventing exposure to yourself, a half face respirator is a better solution. Remember to wear eye protection too! hopefully, I won't need it for virus protection, but can always use it for painting/demolition projects.
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hopefully, I won’t need it for virus protection, but can always use it for painting/demolition projects.
Thanks. Im in the same boat. Ive been meaning to grab some painting respirators for a while now anyway and its great to know they could be useful otherwise
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??
https://www.fishchemical.com/Products-CHLOROQUINE-PHOSPHATE-1-KILO-22937.Item.html

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Laura, I’m an orthodontist. Talk to the Dr, it does depend. Unlike another comment, there are some wires that have activation built in that could be devastating if left for a year, but that’s only a few. Running the risk of cavities is the greatest, as long as you can take care of broken braces and wires, etc. Rarely does something break, get injested/inhaled and needs medical attention, but it does happen.
All of these things are going through my mind, in addition to when do I “take a month or two off”, the impact of which will be devastating, but we’re all going to have to deal with that. Thinking about Chris’ “red line”.
And, I’m thankful that the majority of my patients are Invisalign, because there aren’t emergencies and a self imposed “holding pattern” is much easier. Coincidentally, in the past 18 mos we’ve started remote monitoring (app, smartphone, software) so I can continue to treat most of my patients from home…but I still have big problems to consider.
John