I accidentally did a science experiment this morning. As a result, I decided I had to follow up with some research. Now, I’d like to share my findings. I went to the salon this morning to get my hair cut. Yay! They were open. Yay! I love Alyssa! Anyway. I dutifully donned my mask – home-made of tight cotton with a filter inserted between the two layers of cloth ( I got the pattern and instructions from a hospital website that said these were good in non-clinical settings). It fits me well since I made it for myself – no gaps, and it has a pipe cleaners sewn inside so that I can form fit it to my nose. Anyway. So attired, I moved first to the seat by the sink so that Alyssa could wash my hair. Hmm. I love the pampering of having my hair washed. Ahh. The smell of the shampoo she uses is so nice.
Wait. What? Smelling the shampoo. That can’t be right. So started my science inquiry. Now that I’m home with my new do and a moment to spend on some research, this is what I’ve discovered. The size of fragrance molecules range between 30 and 150 micrometers in diameter. Next bit of research: a Covid-19 molecule ranges from between 50 and 200 nanometers in diameter. Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t know the comparison so further research was needed. A nanometer is 1000 times smaller than a micrometer. (A micrometer is 1000 times smaller than a millimeter.) Huh. So while I’m blithely wearing my mask, happy smells from my shampoo are drifting, without a care, right through my mask and into my nose without receiving any trouble from the cloth and filter I’m wearing. And those fragrance molecules are a thousand times larger than what I’m being told the mask will save me from. Huh. Feel free to replicate my experiment and check my research. Maybe your mask will filter out odors. I hope so. This stinks.
