N95 Vs. Surgical Masks: Which Face Covering Is Better?

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly brought about many unwanted changes to our lifestyles, with mask-wearing being one of the most notable ones. With the growing interest and demand for face coverings to protect ourselves and the people around us, it is important to know the different types of masks available so that we use a suitable one. Two of the most popular mask choices among the public are surgical and N95 masks. Read on to learn more about N95 vs. surgical masks and decide for yourself which is better.

Surgical Masks

While both N95 and surgical masks are referred to as “masks”, they serve vastly different functions. If you have done some research surrounding the different types of masks, you should know that surgical masks offer much less protection to the wearer as compared to N95 masks. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also stated that surgical masks are loose-fitting, disposable, and act more like a physical barrier between the wearer and potential contaminants in the immediate surroundings.

Surgical masks are designed to prevent physical liquids like sprays or splashes from blood from entering the surface of the wearer’s skin. As such, many medical professionals working in hospitals don surgical masks when they are providing healthcare in low to moderate risk environments. While surgical masks may be effective in blocking large particle droplets and protecting you from splashes, they aren’t the most effective when it comes to blocking and filtering small harmful particles that can be transmitted through sneezing, coughing, and others alike.

As such, surgical masks aren’t designed to provide respiratory protection for wearers since they aren’t effective in filtering small particles.

Despite so, surgical masks do play a significant role in the landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than completely protecting wearers, surgical masks are somewhat effective in protecting the environment from any contamination by the mask wearer.        

N95 Masks

Unlike surgical masks, N95 masks are designed specifically to offer respiratory protection to wearers. As such, they are much more effective when it comes to the efficient filtration of airborne particles. N95 masks are also not loosely fitted but instead designed to fit securely to the wearer’s face, further decreasing the risk of catching unwanted particles.

As such, a properly-fitted N95 mask will help to significantly reduce the small particles that enter the respiratory system of the wearer as compared to surgical masks. N95 masks are designed to achieve an intended effect of filtering 95% of all particles. As such, N95 masks are generally more uncomfortable to keep on as compared to surgical masks.

Which Mask Is Better?

Both N95 and surgical masks have different use cases that are beneficial for wearers. We highly recommend that individuals at higher risk of disease go with the safer N95 option, while the low-risk population can stick to surgical masks to prevent the spread of the virus.