Home Coronavirus Visualization Shows Face Shields May Not Protect Against COVID-19 Spread

Visualization Shows Face Shields May Not Protect Against COVID-19 Spread

Sep 1, 2020

Face screen — (Image credit: Siddhartha Verma, Manhar Dhanak, John Frankenfield)

A new visualization shows why face shields and masks with exhalation valves may not be the best barriers for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

(Image credit: Siddhartha Verma, Manhar Dhanak, John Frankenfield)

Although face shields initially block droplets from a simulated cough, small droplets can easily move around the sides of the visor and eventually spread over a large area, according to the visualization, which is detailed in a study published Tuesday (Sept. 1) in the journal Physics of Fluids.

For masks with exhalation valves, a stream of droplets passes, unfiltered, through the valve, meaning the mask would in theory do little to hinder the spread of potentially infectious droplets.

In contrast, the researchers previously showed that some cotton face masks reduce the spread of droplets to only a few inches from the face during a simulated cough, Live Science previously reported.

The simulations in the new study “indicate that face shields and masks with exhale valves may not be as effective as regular face masks in restricting the spread of aerosolized droplets,” the authors wrote.

Face masks have become a part of everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic. But some people are turning to plastic face shields or masks with exhalation values because they find these alternatives more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Face shields also have the advantage of allowing users to show facial expressions.

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