What is it with the Japanese and surgical masks

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cambsno

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Just saw a woman with one on the news. I have seen a few in London and Cambridge, including in a supermarket. Aside from the medical profession I have only seen Japanese females wearing these (and these tend to be younger ones).
 
It's considered bad form to spread germs.

I think :)

I read somewhere, years ago, that people in the West thought it was to stop catching a cold etc.
It seems that they wear them to stop spreading an infection. (though I could be totally wrong)
 
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It appears to be a cultural thing there based on real life practical reasons:

1. High air pollution, particulate matter in their mega cities. They hope the mask might stop some pollutants
2. Infection control in high density populations, particularly workplace and public transport. If they sneeze they catch all the goodies in the mask. Likewise the mask is supposed to stop some airborne bacteria getting through and infecting them.

Its probably more the no 2 I think. If oriental people are sick they are pretty much mandated to wear a mask - it is their responsibility to protect the others around them. And certainly that is a very positive attitude.
 
I doubt such masks protect from very much in actual fact. They dont even fit that well.
 
The Chinese also do it a lot too in big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
To be effective, they don't have to fit particularly well, they still prevent the widespread distribution of germs that result from coughing and sneezing.
 
viv1969 said:
The Chinese also do it a lot too in big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
To be effective, they don't have to fit particularly well, they still prevent the widespread distribution of germs that result from coughing and sneezing.
Click to expand...

Have you ever critically examined how useless lightweight protection masks are?

So whether it is asian populations, cyclists, construction workers or medics, such masks only really give minimal protection and are largely cosmetic.

Even manufacturers when properly quizzed admit to their failings in terms of providing proper protection from liquids, gases or dust. Or from distibuting the negative effects of 'flu.
 
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It is well known the use of surgical masks are a waste of time, even during surgery.

they only work as a barrier to liquid, partially.
 
andyscott said:
It is well known the use of surgical masks are a waste of time, even during surgery.
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So when you're on the table, you wouldn't mind the surgeon sneezing or coughing into your insides? I think most people would. So I'm curious as to where and how it is "well known" that they are a "waste of time"?
 
StewartR said:
So when you're on the table, you wouldn't mind the surgeon sneezing or coughing into your insides? I think most people would. So I'm curious as to where and how it is "well known" that they are a "waste of time"?
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It would not prevent the particles of air from a cough, the moisture of breathing into them makes them inefficient. Well known among medical research that it does not effect infection rates.

Not all surgeons wear them :) or hats :)
 
StewartR said:
So when you're on the table, you wouldn't mind the surgeon sneezing or coughing into your insides? I think most people would. So I'm curious as to where and how it is "well known" that they are a "waste of time"?
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So when you are 'on the table' and under the gas, are you in any fit state to complain? They could be having a party for all you know!
 
andyscott said:
It would not prevent the particles of air from a cough, the moisture of breathing into them makes them inefficient. Well known among medical research that it does not effect infection rates.

Not all surgeons wear them :) or hats :)
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It's the liquid particles that carry the germs / viral matter.
I'm willing to bet a mask, even a poor one, is more effective at preventing the spread of those droplets, than no mask at all.
 
viv1969 said:
It's the liquid particles that carry the germs / viral matter.
I'm willing to bet a mask, even a poor one, is more effective at preventing the spread of those droplets, than no mask at all.
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Not according to the research, and it's decent research and a proper study not like the research you here about on the BBC.

Most wear them to protect the staff from blood rather than the patient :)
 
andyscott said:
Not according to the research, and it's decent research and a proper study not like the research you here about on the BBC.

Most wear them to protect the staff from blood rather than the patient :)
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It's also been proven by the BMA, CDC and WHO that wearing a surgical mask (not in surgical arenas, but in social use....ie the topic of the thread) can assist in the prevention of spreading airborne communicable diseases, even simple one such as Influenza and URTIs, via coughing and sneezing.
An additional positive effect of wearing a mask (and again not in surgical environments), is that it helps prevent the spread of germ / virus via hand to mouth contact.
:-)
 
58799881.jpg
 
When I was in Japan I thought "hey they got a lot of doctors and nurses here!"
Here's a tourist here. Protected in every way:
14630841091_ac6e0b5897_b.jpg
 
So looking at Ianp5a shot above, are some of you really saying that if I had flu and sneezed in her face on the metro that the mask wouldn't prevent most of the sneeze entering her nose and mouth. I guess some could sneak in around the sides, but there is still a huge barrier. But actually, washing hands after exposure to public spaces, be they toilets or bus grab handles, is always a good move. I learnt this doing food hygiene training and watching how customers in my old shop could be pretty gross spreading nasties through poor hygiene.
 
condyk said:
So looking at Ianp5a shot above, are some of you really saying that if I had flu and sneezed in her face on the metro that the mask wouldn't prevent most of the sneeze entering her nose and mouth. I guess some could sneak in around the sides, but there is still a huge barrier. But actually, washing hands after exposure to public spaces, be they toilets or bus grab handles, is always a good move. I learnt this doing food hygiene training and watching how customers in my old shop could be pretty gross spreading nasties through poor hygiene.
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True, but only thorough hand washing.
The quick "sluice under a tap" that most people seem to do - might as well not bother.
 
Turn the taps off with your elbows if you can. And if you are in public or pub toilets, perform contortions to avoid touching the door handles with your hands on the way out.
 
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The problem is that after a thorough hand washing, you then leave the karzi and reinfect your paws with what the dirty git who didn't wash their hands after "performing" left on the handle. The alcohol based sanitizers are all very well but not as good as a proper hand wash. Maybe they should put the hand washing facilities outside the bogs so people can see who's a dirty b****r and doesn't wash!
 
Nod said:
The problem is that after a thorough hand washing, you then leave the karzi and reinfect your paws with what the dirty git who didn't wash their hands after "performing" left on the handle. The alcohol based sanitizers are all very well but not as good as a proper hand wash. Maybe they should put the hand washing facilities outside the bogs so people can see who's a dirty b****r and doesn't wash!
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Or maybe you just be more careful when you go to the loo - don't pee on your hands and no need to wash!!
 
You still need to "handle the goods" and open the door... ;)
 
I guess one way to tell if the mask works is to look at it after a day in Tokyo traffic, compare it to a clean one.
 
viv1969 said:
The Chinese also do it a lot too in big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
To be effective, they don't have to fit particularly well, they still prevent the widespread distribution of germs that result from coughing and sneezing.
Click to expand...

Indeed, I once saw a programme where they showed how far a sneeze could be profected from the nose. At least the are trying to do something, unlike the numbers of folks over here who do not even put their hand over their nose or mouth when they sneeze or cough!
 
I think it's more about perceived politeness... Having a cold and not wearing a mask is seen as being impolite. It doesn't really matter how effective or otherwise the mask actually is - it's about being seen to "do the right thing".
 
As above, it's abput politeness. Worn when YOU are ill to show you are trying to minimse the risk to other people, not for trying to protect yourself (although some will wear for that reason). But I've heard Japanese people getting quite upset when someone comes to work, obviously ill, and without a mask - it's thought extremely inconsiderate.
 
I sympathise with them entirely. I hardly had a cold for 10 years, my last job didn't involve much human interaction, then it changed. New job 18 months ago, work a lot in supermarkets, get infected :(
 
What you also find, in many countries, is that people now wear these masks (and other things) because white skin is considered beautiful so they avoid sun as much as possible. Quite possibly that is the reason for the observed high incidence in young girls.
 
neil_g said:
Wish they were compulsory, fed up with how many colds I've had this year.

And people coming to work with a cold should be shot. Or the very least pay for everyone elses sick leave.
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Nah, shoot the HR waste-of-spaces who give you the Gestapo treatment if you try to phone in sick.
People don't come to work ill because they enjoy it - they do it because it is expected by management and enforced by their agents in the Office Of Very Little To Do.
 
Surgical masks are good for people who have really goofy teeth. Or perhaps a huge cold sore. Or have trimmed their moustache badly on one side. Or are just damn ugly.
 
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shreds said:
Have you ever critically examined how useless lightweight protection masks are?

So whether it is asian populations, cyclists, construction workers or medics, such masks only really give minimal protection and are largely cosmetic.

Even manufacturers when properly quizzed admit to their failings in terms of providing proper protection from liquids, gases or dust. Or from distibuting the negative effects of 'flu.
Click to expand...

I have !!
When I was a student medical photographer it was one of our projects.
The hospital in question (University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff) was trying to persuade wearers to wear the masks properly, as quite a few people wore them across the face, but under the nose, so a fellow student wore a mask which had some talcum powder inside, then we did shots of coughing, sneezing, and exhaling through the mask.
We shot against a black background and backlit the "cloud" of talcum powder to show how bad they really were.
Even tied tightly with the wire nosepiece pinched tightly against the nose, a lot of talc escaped, but it escaped sideways, not forwards, so they did offer some protection from direct contamination.
Not brilliant, but better than nothing.
 
Nawty said:
What you also find, in many countries, is that people now wear these masks (and other things) because white skin is considered beautiful so they avoid sun as much as possible. Quite possibly that is the reason for the observed high incidence in young girls.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my wife lived in China for a year and this was a common reason. They also put bleaching agents in moisturiser etc.
 
Still?
 
I once shared a taxi with a vegetarian, all was well until she passed gas. Any sort of mask would have been appreciated at the time, could this be why Japs are keen on wearing masks?
 
Originally, people started wearing masks in big cities (Beijing/Shanghai) due to pollution. I grew up seeing more and more people wear masks early 2000s.

One poster mentioned "critically examine effectiveness" of the masks, this approach should have been applied to everything in life. But what I've found from talking to relatives is that, many people don't think for themselves! The sheep-ish behaviour to follow what you've been told is instilled in Chinese from an early age.

I'm on Wechat platform due to relatives, (it's like a cross between Whatsapp and Facebook) and I've received many "how to look after yourself" and "how to be healthy" articles. When actually reading them in depth, there are no scientific grounds to any of the stuff on there, the advices are worse than Buzzfeed! Yet people share them because to them, it sounded like good advice.

So I think it's a habit thing, 2 people started to do it, soon 1024 people are doing it and now it became a habit.
 
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