This is a study I found. It still needs to be peer-reviewed but it is in that process.
https://www.preprint.../202004.0203/v1
We still require beard nets on top of our masks. We did take away our eye wear policy away temporarily for all employees due to fogging issues. Now only those who handle chemicals must wear them.
Thanks again, kfromNE. Just in case people haven't actually read this study, I would suggest everyone should. Let me quote some key bits from this:
"A primary route of transmission of SARS-CoV2 is likely via small droplets that are ejected when speaking coughing or sneezing. The most common droplet size threshold has a minimum of 5 pm to 10 pm [...]"
"Masks can also be used for source control, which refers to blocking droplets ejected by the wearer, as well as PPE. Although we consider both of these as important, our focus in this paper is on source control, because if everyone is wearing masks to decrease the chance that they themselves are unknowingly infecting someone, everyone ends up being more protected [...] "
"When considering the relevance of these studies of ingress, it's important to note they are likely to substantially underestimate effectiveness of masks for source control. When someone is breathing, speaking, or coughing, only a tiny amount of what is coming out of their mouths is already in aerosol form. Nearly all of what is being emitted is droplets. Many of these droplets will then evaporate and turn into aerosolized particles that are 3 to 5-fold smaller. The of wearing a mask as source control is largely to stop this process from occurring, since big droplets dehydrate to smaller aerosol particles that can float for longer in air [...]
"Our review of the literature offers evidence in favor of widespread mask use to reduce community transmission [...]"
"The available evidence suggests that near universal adoption of non-medical masks when out in public, in combination with complementary public health measures could successfully reduce effective-R to below 1.0, thereby stopping community spread. Economic analysis suggests that the impact of mask wearing could be thousands of US dollars saved per person per mask [...]"
Edited by kettlecorn, 20 May 2020 - 06:32 PM.