https://web.archive.org/web/20090503142056/http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-mask30-2009apr30%2C0%2C7635596.story

tl dr la times, 09 h1n1 article on masking and docs telling how masks are pretty much useless, also a bacteria magnet; complete opposite of what they say now in current year

Title: Face masks aren't a sure bet against swine flu - Though sales have increased worldwide, the coverings weren't designed to protect wearers from an airborne virus. Health officials say their value is limited, at best.

Don't count on those disposable masks to protect you against swine flu. Residents of Mexico City, as well as travelers to and from Los Angeles, have turned to mouth and nose protection of one type or another in recent days in an attempt to stop errant airborne viruses from entering their respiratory tract.

3M, a major producer of face masks and respirators, said that worldwide sales have increased significantly, and some Los Angeles pharmacies have reported selling out of masks. In the drugstore at Tokyo's Narita International Airport on Monday, mask sales were up 30%. Even recent 99 Cents Only Stores ads touted the devices' potential to "Prevent the flu!" Kanna Kanzaki, 36, a resident of Yokohama, Japan, donned a mask before heading to baggage claim this week at Los Angeles International Airport. "I'm very concerned," she said. She had arrived for a vacation and was taking no chances. "I went to see a doctor this morning and got Tamiflu to prevent the virus."

Most travelers at the airport were wearing face masks, which are loose-fitting and designed largely to help stop the spread of droplets from the person wearing the mask, not to protect the wearer from the virus. Respirators -- more close-fitting, pricier masks -- are designed to reduce exposure to airborne particles. But there is general uncertainty, even among health professionals, about the value of wearing either during a flu outbreak.

Masks may give people a false sense of security, said Dr. Laurene Mascola, director of acute communicable disease control for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has nine classifications of respirators based on their ability to filter particles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends respirators classified as N95 for healthcare workers and caregivers with a respiratory infection.

CDC officials, however, said Monday that they don't know how helpful either type of covering is in preventing swine flu infection. The best CDC could offer is that, if used correctly, masks and respirators might reduce the risk of getting influenza.

But even for people willing to wear such a contraption, there is no single action that will provide complete protection in areas with confirmed swine flu cases, health officials said. It isn't practical to wear a mask all the time, even a quality mask, and the devices aren't foolproof. "Once they get moist, they are no longer useful," Mascola said. "Your saliva is going to be pooling in that mask. That will make is not useful because germs will be able to permeate."

Taking a mask on and off contaminates it and makes it less useful, as well. It is effective "only for a 20-minute to a half-hour period," she said. "Even in those places during the SARS epidemic, they found hand-washing as effective as wearing masks."

Face masks and respirators are probably most useful for people who are in crowded settings, such as classrooms or airplanes, or people who are in close contact with an infected person. "Close contact" is defined as 3 feet or less by the World Health Organization and 6 feet or less by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you want to use a face mask on a crowded plane, though, it's best to bring your own. Scott E. Ross [interviewed person] said he wanted a face mask when he was leaving San Diego on Sunday for a flight back to his home in Florida. But face masks weren't provided by airport security or the airline. After Ross boarded his flight, he noticed that the young man sitting next to him was sweating and coughing. Then he vomited into an airsickness bag. "I was rather uncomfortable sitting next to him," Ross said.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.