Face Mask Is Not Sure for Swine Flu Prevention.
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. “You would have to wear it 100% of the time that you are outside,” she said of masks and respirators.