Have you tried wearing an n95 mask while doing anything more strenuous than walking? I have no health issues at all and I can find it difficult to breathe. I don’t think obligating (legally or socially) people to wear n95 masks is realistic. Unfortunately, just like many socially charged issues in 2023 it just takes some common sense. I’m not implying you’re lacking, just my .02.
I’ve played basketball wearing an N95 and was perfectly fine, and that’s coming from someone who has shit conditioning and gets out of breath easily. I actually had a harder time breathing in a cloth mask because it was directly in contact with my face while playing. The N95 on the other hand provides an air pocket.
Wildland firefighters wear n95s while in 400 degree Fahrenheit heat. All while wearing up to 75 lbs of gear and carrying around heavy equipment. They literally choose to wear n95s for outdoor scenarios because they are lighter weight and easier to breathe in than their normal indoors masks.
If they can do that, I think we can wear them while we’re in a store or whatever.
I blacksmith bro. I swing a 5 pound hammer with one hand for hours with a 1400° fire a few feet away from me, while wearing heat insulation gloves in the summer. I wear an N95 because if I don’t I’ll cough out coal dust for the next 2 days, and I’m sure as shit not looking forward to finding out how that feels when I’m 80. Oh and I’m significantly overweight. If I could do it everyone else is just bitching.
Why wouldn’t you use an appropriate respirator for that task? Any respirator would probably be okay, but I’m a big fan of the 3M 7500 series for comfort and exhaust control in case you’re wearing a face shield.
Cause I’m lazy and cheap and would rather throw on one of the hundreds of N95s I have lying around in my garage
Yeah, I found the same issue once I finally got my hands on any real N95s. Earlier I had built a mod for a cheap ARF-A gas mask that filtered both intake and exhaust using 3M P100 filters and that was dramatically superior to the airflow, moisture control, and overall comfort of the N95s I tried. As an added benefit, the eye coverings also kept me from absently touching my eyes like I often do, which is a major disease vector. I just look like a dork wearing it, but I’m used to that.
