What’s the best cloth mask for the public to use? How can PPE be made to be more sustainable? Can imperfect use of imperfect masks still reduce COVID-19 spread?

Four experts from McMaster’s Centre of Excellence in Protective Equipment and Materials (CEPEM) answer frequently asked questions about cloth masks, and how they’re working with industry partners to improve the next generation of PPE in Canada:

Catherine Clase – Associate Professor, Medicine, McMaster University; Nephrologist, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Charles De Lannoy – Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, McMaster University.
Myrna Dolovich – Professor, Medicine, McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Zeinab Hosseini-Doust – Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, McMaster University.

CEPEM is Canada’s first and only research hub dedicated to developing, testing and validating PPE, from improving cloth masks for the general public to rethinking the design of PPE for healthcare workers.

Visit clothmasks.ca for up-to-date information on the most effective cloth masks for public use, mask cleaning and more. This website is co-led by Catherine Clase and Juan Jesus Carrero from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Innovating masks and protective gear for healthcare workers

Big Ideas for a Changing WorldBy McMaster EngineeringJun 29, 2020