X-Message-Number: 21434 Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 10:06:22 -0700 Subject: Mask pore size for SARS From: (Tim Freeman) At http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/20/international/asia/20CHIN.html?ex=1048741200&en=4813ab03a64e7ed7&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE it says: Scientists in Hong Kong and Germany said Tuesday that they might have identified the virus responsible for the outbreak, a paramyxovirus that belongs to the family of viruses that includes the one that causes measles. If that proves correct, it would help explain why the virus has spread so readily to doctors and nurses: it is so small that it passes through ordinary surgical masks. Masks with smaller pores were on sale at some hospitals here [in Beijing] today. That article doesn't give numbers on what pore sizes are good, but paramyxoviruses are 150-300nm, according to http://www.cat.cc.md.us/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit2/viruses/classvir.html If you might have to deal with people with SARS you might want to get appropriate masks. Google is my friend today. -- Tim Freeman Which is worse: ignorance or apathy? Who knows? Who cares? GPG public key fingerprint ECDF 46F8 3B80 BB9E 575D 7180 76DF FE00 34B1 5C78 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21434