For the last several weeks, wildfires have been ravaging the State of California, sending people literally running for their lives. Fearless leaders across the country who have been calling these fires a result of global warming, however, have forgotten that there are other states in the West with forests that aren’t an absolute tinder bin. While fires are a constant summer event in the West, forest management policies vary from state to state, and therefore, the severity of fires in some states is exponentially worse than others.
As a result of the disastrous fire season in California, the air quality here is less than stellar. Just today, at my own home in Southern California, everything outside appears brownish-orangish-red as a result of the sun being filtered through the disgusting smoke. As a result of the horrible air quality, the CDC posted an announcement on their Facebook page regarding the use of cloth masks in the areas most effective by smoke.
Isn’t that just adorable?
Remember that “science” that they always like to throw in the face of conservatives? Let’s take a quick look at this info through the lens of actual science. They just told us that smoke particulates are too small to be stopped by a cloth mask. While N95 masks will protect up to 95% of particles, down to .1 microns in size. A quick Google search will tell us that smoke particles and debris are usually .4 to .7 microns in size. According to the CDC, cloth masks are not effective in stopping materials that size.
Another quick Google search will tell us that the Wuhan Virus is .12 microns in size, about a quarter in size of the smoke and fire debris particulate. Even if we factor for the “respiratory droplets” that are allegedly to blame for the spread of coronavirus, those droplets are as small as .5 microns, or as small or smaller than smoke and fire debris particulate. These factors and figures aren’t hidden in some CDC vault that only their scientists are capable of accessing. Yet another quick Google search will show these figures within seconds.
The CDC cannot, on one hand, demand we wear masks because of the prevention of the spread of a disease (or droplets containing the disease) and then tell us that those same masks are ineffective in stopping particles that are bigger than the disease we are trying to prevent.
Should you wear a mask while in public places? Yes, if anything to keep the maskholes in check. Are they effective? The CDC doesn’t seem to think so.