Plastic face shields Source: Engin akyurt on Unsplash
As per a new Japanese study, plastic face shields do not control the spread of COVID-19.
Simulation was done by Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer and found that almost 100% of airborne droplets of less than 5 micrometres in size escaped through plastic visors of the kind often used by people working in service industries.
In addition, about half of the larger droplets measuring 50 micrometers found their way into the air.
One micrometer is the equivalent of one-millionth of a meter.
The study was carried out by Riken, a government-backed research institute in the western city of Kobe, Japan.
In comparison, the face mask made of nonwoven fabric leaked about 30 percent of aerosol particles but caught almost all of the larger droplets measuring 50 micrometers or more.
Also Read: CDC says the virus can spread beyond six feet in Indoor air
“The nonwoven face mask is the winner in terms of effectiveness in blocking the spray of droplets,” said Makoto Tsubokura, a professor of computational fluid dynamics with Kobe University, said to the Asahi Shimbun.