From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Respirator physicals?
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:16:49 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: 28850C96-136F-41E1-8766-9041B74ED1DD**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


From: Roger McClellan
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Respirator physicals?
Date: August 13, 2020 at 6:53:50 PM GMT-4


To all: I fully agree with Monona that aerosol particles as small as 0.3 microns may contain virus. Indeed, these very small particles may have the highest viral content as percentage of their mass. With nasal breathing these very small particles have a high probability of depositing by diffusion in the nasal passages. This would be consistent with the pathogenesis of the Covid-19 disease in many patients. Particles depositing in the nasal passages may also translocate to the cribiform plate . This would be consistent with the virus causing alterations in olfactory function.
I personally view the cloth masks as useful to capture exhaled virus. However, I think their use in hospital settings may account for the large number of health care workers infected in the course of their work. If one is in an environment with high potential for exposure to the virus I urge use of an N95 mask, cloth masks are not adequate.
In late June I visited a health care facility as a patient for about one hour. I wore an N95 mask. A week later I was called and told that one or more members of the health care team I saw had tested positive for the virus. A week later I learned my cardiologist was hospitalized with Covid-19. Two weeks later I learned that a patient treated the same day as I was examined had died of Covid-19 and the patient's wife died 4 days later. My cardiologist , who is also my neighbor, is still convulsing. This virus is really nasty. Do everything you can to avoid exposure. In retrospect , I should have canceled the visit to the Clinic. I was fortunate in dodging a bullet. I had to insist on an antibody serological test 4 weeks after my visit to the Clinic -- it was negative.
Stay safe. Roger McClellan

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