HEALTH & FITNESS
SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
Food doesn’t
Study compares fabrics to find
the most effective for face masks pose a risk for
■ Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory say cotton, natural silk, chiffon best
spreading virus
By Hannah Herrera
Greenspan
By Genevieve Ko
Chicago Tribune
Since writing about how to wash produce during the
pandemic, I’ve gotten questions from readers asking if
cooking food kills any possible coronavirus on it. I also
have received requests for “100%-certain facts.”
Given the novelty of this outbreak, research is ongo-
ing and information evolving, so to fi nd answers to
readers’ queries, I reached out to an expert in infectious
disease, Dr. Stephen Berger. Berger is board-certifi ed in
both infectious diseases and clinical microbiology and
is a co-founder of GIDEON, the Global Infectious Dis-
eases and Epidemiology Network. Here are his insights
into the connections between coronavirus and food. The
interview has been condensed and edited.
Q: Can COVID-19 be transmitted through food? If so,
how?
A: There have been no cases of COVID-19 associated
with ingestion of food, but the question is well-founded.
COVID-19 is, after all, caused by a virus which enters
the body through the nose or mouth. Food items are,
after all, objects which may be contaminated with the
virus and placed in the mouth — but like many other
viruses, bacteria and parasites, these will be swallowed
and most likely destroyed by stomach acids. Should the
virus survive into the intestine, there is no pathway
which will carry it to the lungs.
Q: Can COVID-19 be transmitted in the process
of consuming food or only through the respiratory
system?
A: The virus of COVID-19 must enter the respira-
tory system to produce disease. There is the possibility
that material could travel from the mouth through the
larynx and into the lungs. It is thought that acquisition
of COVID-19 through this route rarely, if ever, occurs.
Q: If COVID-19 is on food, can it be killed by cooking?
If so, at what temperatures?
A: SARS virus, a close relative of the virus of
COVID-19, is inactivated at temperatures of 56 to 65
degrees Celsius (132.8 to 149 degrees Fahrenheit).
(One aside, before we get back to the questions: An
instant-read thermometer will tell you the tempera-
ture of your food; most cooked food is in or above that
temperature range.)
Q: Does it die more easily than the bacteria that can
last on our food?
A: Unlike viruses, bacteria can multiply in food and
many species are highly resistant to heat and dryness.
Q: Is there anything specifi c about COVID-19 that
makes it harder to eliminate from our food?
A: Not really. Routine practices of hygiene, storage,
cleansing and cooking which are already practiced in
commercial shops and restaurants will also help elimi-
nate this virus from our food.
Q: So can you acquire COVID-19 from food?
A: The bottom line answer is ... no.
Los Angeles Times
CHICAGO — Starting
May 1, Illinois will require
everyone over age 2 to wear a
mask when they can’t main-
tain a 6-foot social distance
in public. Other areas of the
country already have man-
dated this.
N-95 masks, which are
in short supply, are best
reserved for health care work-
ers, who come into direct con-
tact with COVID-19 patients.
So what fabric or combi-
nation of fabrics is best for
homemade masks?
A new study conducted by
University of Chicago profes-
sor Supratik Guha and col-
leagues at Argonne National
Laboratory in Lemont looked
at more than 15 common
household fabrics to see
which were best in protecting
against the coronavirus.
More specifi cally, this study
investigated the fabric’s fi ltra-
tion effi ciencies against the
tiny droplets that are how the
coronavirus and other respi-
ratory illnesses spread.
Wearing a mask or a cloth
facial covering reduces the
transmission of these respira-
tory droplets from an infected
person, according to Guha.
The most effective fabrics
are cotton, natural silk and
chiffon; synthetic silk and
satin did not provide as much
protection. Hybrid combina-
tions, such as high thread
cotton, along with silk, chiffon
and fl annel also supplied
broad fi ltration coverage.
The study notes, “Fabric
with tight weaves and low
porosity, such as those found
in cotton sheets with high
thread count, are prefer-
able. For instance, a 600
TPI (thread per inch) cotton
performed better than an 80
Stacey Wescott /Chicago Tribune-TNS
Kevin Houston uses a bandana to cover his face in Evanston, Illinois. The city joined
other Chicago suburbs in requiring masks or face coverings to be worn in public.
these materials is the best. A
quilt, a mixture of polyester
and cotton, also had excellent
fi ltration.”
Two chambers at Argonne
were used to conduct the
study. In the fi rst chamber,
Guha and his team produced
aerosols with dry particles of
— Suptratik Guha,
sodium chloride, a standard
Argonne National
method in respirator testing.
Laboratory
From there, a PVC pipe led
to the collection chamber,
TPI cotton. Fabrics that are
which is where the fabric
porous should be avoided.”
was held in place by clamps.
Guha says chiffon and
The collection chamber had
other materials that have
a fan that sucked the air, so
electrostatic properties can
it fl owed from the generation
actually act as a barrier to the chamber to the collection
tiny droplets.
chamber. Guha said they
“What we found was that
used specialized equipment
some of these materials are
that measured the density of
pretty good,” he said. “Using
the particles upstream and
a combination of cotton and
downstream of the fabric.
“What we found was that
some of these materials
are pretty good. Using a
combination of cotton
and these materials is the
best.”
“What was unique in our
work was the equipment used
to measure particles of 10
nanometers, which is about a
few thousand atoms,” he says.
“We were able to measure the
fi ltration effi ciency at differ-
ent particle sizes, going all the
way from a few thousand at-
oms to 6 micrometers range.
A human hair is roughly 75
micrometers in diameter, so 6
is a little less than one-tenth
of that.”
Something that surprised
Guha during this study was
the effect of gaps in masks.
He says that if a mask doesn’t
fi t properly, it’s not much use.
Masks should fi t with mini-
mal gaps, but not too tightly
because the exhaled breath
must come out or else you’ll
breathe in carbon dioxide.
OREGON'S 2ND
OREGON'S 2ND
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE FORUM
CANDIDATE FORUM
Get to know the Republican candidates
for U.S. Congress without leaving home.
Get to know the Democratic candidates
for U.S. Congress without leaving home.
Primary election is May 19
Primary election is May 19
Forums will be video recorded without audience
due to COVID-19 concerns.
Forums will be video recorded without audience
due to COVID-19 concerns.
Streaming live on this newspaper’s
Facebook page:
Streaming live on this newspaper’s
Facebook page:
Saturday May 2, 2020 • 5 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Friday, May 1, 2020 • 6:30
Watch after the event on this
newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv
Watch after the event on this
newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv
Submit your questions in advance by email to:
CD2forum@eomediagroup.com
or on Facebook Live during the event.
Submit your questions in advance by email to:
CD2forum@eomediagroup.com
or on Facebook Live during the event.
Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher,
EO Media Group
Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher,
EO Media Group
am and video by EO A
Live stream
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Live stream
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• A forum for the Democratic candidates
will be held on May 1 •
• A forum for the Republican candidates
will be held on May 2 •