Dr Ron talks with Mark Alyn of latenighthealth.com
You can see this video and a podcast version here: https://www.latenighthealth.com/why-you-should-wear-a-mask-during-the-pandemic/
Transcript
Mark Alyn:
This is a special edition of LateNight Health. I’m Mark Alyn. We’re going to spend some time with Doctor Ron Gertsch. He is the inventor of the thing that I just dropped, which is a mask. And it’s a special mask. We’re going to find out all about this and find out about the need for masks right now, as we have the pandemic of COVID-19. Doctor, are masks, first of all, our masks necessary? Should we all be wearing masks when we’re in a public places?
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
In my opinion, when you’re in public, in close proximity to other people, yes, you should be wearing a mask.
Mark Alyn:
So that would be supermarkets. If you’re going to wherever you’re going, any kind of retail operation, you’re picking up food, whatever it might be, you should be wearing a mask if you’re within six or eight feet of other people.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Yes, that’s my opinion.
Mark Alyn:
Gotcha. All right. We hear a lot about masks. It’s hard to buy masks right now. They’re out of stock. What makes a good mask? Let’s start there.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Well, they’re basically four features and when we created our mask, we endeavored to achieve those four features and they are as follows.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Number one, it needs to have a very effective barrier against the transmission of any microbiological organism.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Number two, it needs to have a snug fit on the face.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Number three, it needs to be breathable.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
And number four, it needs to be non-allergic.
Mark Alyn:
And you’ve accomplished that in your OxyStrap mask, which you’ve given me as a sample and I wore it the other day at the supermarket. It’s very, very comfortable and I feel that I have extra protection over the disposable masks that I’ve had in the past. Am I correct? In that assumption?
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Yes. The masks that we’ve created is essentially equivalent to the N95 masks that are made by 3M and Honeywell. But our mask is not yet certified but it’s in the certification process. We know that it will achieve certification because we use the same identical material for the barrier that 3M and Honeywell uses.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
It’ a material that’s 99.9% effective against the transmission of any microbiological organism, including viruses. It’s also the same material that’s been used for many years in surgery, for wrapping surgical instruments for later use in surgery. That’s the material that 3M uses. That’s the material we use. It’s the best material available.
Mark Alyn:
We should point out that you are a practicing surgeon.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
I am. I am a practicing surgeon for many years.
Mark Alyn:
So let’s take a look at something, if we can. Let’s take a look at putting on the mask properly, whether it’s yours or anybody else’s and you have a couple of special features on yours. So let’s talk about that. Can you demonstrate to us right now, how to put on the OxyStrap mask?
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Absolutely. This is our N95 equivalent, protective face mask. It has two straps. The straps are adjustable. They have adjustability because everyone’s head shape is a little bit different. If you get a snug seal, a tight seal with a mask with only the upper strap, that’s all you need to use. That’s all I ever use. I never used the bottom strap. You can either cut it off or you can let it dangle. But the bottom line is, is we have two straps just to make it fit nicely on everyone.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
When you put the mask on, you want to avoid touching the inner surface, the white area. That’s important because if you touch that inner surface with hands that are not clean, it will contaminate the mask. So when you put the mask on, since I only wear one strap, what I do is hold the upper strap with my two hands and then I put my chin into the mask and simply put it on.
Mark Alyn:
You know what? I’m going to try that now. I wear glasses.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
It’s snug down tightly on the nose, so you get a nice seal around the nose, all the way around the face and down under the chin.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
So we have an effective barrier mask with a snug fit and it’s very breathable. That’s what we’ve achieved and it’s also non-allergic.
Mark Alyn:
I’m going to try it. Okay? So let’s see what happens. So I’ll put my chin in. My nose. I tighten the nose. There’s a little metal strip in here. That’s very effective.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Yes. That’s a stainless steel strip. It’s not just a piece of wire. It’s a custom made stainless steel strip that will not break and it has some durability so it nicely conforms to the shape of the face.
Mark Alyn:
The other thing that it does and I hope people can hear me, even though I’m, I’m wearing the mask, I’m smiling too. Is that it’s not only breathable, it feels very snug around here and it offers protection not only for me to you, but from you to me. Am I correct in that?
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
That’s correct. Some of the early information that was out there said that it only gives one way protection but that’s not true. An effective mask will protect you from others and protect others from you.
Mark Alyn:
As we wrap up our time together, I should point out that I did get a sample or two of these masks and I do like them. I have not been paid for this video and I think that it’s good because environmentally, I’m not throwing away my disposable mask all the time. I just simply wash this out. It comes with a set of directions. I’m going to show you that, that you can follow and it’s washable. You just wash them in hand. Can you use, I know you recommend a specific, soap for this, a germicide, but can you just use like antibacterial soap or dish water washing soap? Will that work as well?
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
No, we do not recommend that. We recommend Hibiclens, which is a very effective anti-microbial cleanser. It’s readily available on Amazon. You can buy a four ounce bottle for about $7 and that will last you a long time because you don’t need very much of it when you hand wash our mask. That was a very important feature that you mentioned about our masks. They’re non-disposable, they’re hand-washable and safely reusable repeatedly.
Mark Alyn:
How many times can I reuse it?
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Innumerable times. There’s no limit on the number of times because all the materials we use to manufacture our masks are washable and they’re very durable materials. We have a nice washable piece of foam that goes over the nose clip, so it’s comfortable. We have an inner lining. It’s a interfacing material that’s very washable, very clean, smooth surface. And we have the outer barrier layer that is also washable. In fact, the outer barrier layer, water cannot penetrate through it.
Mark Alyn:
Well, I washed it the other day and it dried within a couple of hours, just leaving it out on the sink in my bathroom. I was going to put it outside in the sun because I thought that would be even better but I found some spiders and I don’t do spiders at all. So I stayed away from that.
Mark Alyn:
The other thing that I need to point out is that as somebody who wears glasses, a lot of the disposable masks and other masks that I’ve tried, they fog up your glasses. But if you have that tight clip on your nose, your glasses won’t fog up and I really appreciated that part of it too.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Yes. That’s very important. A lot of the masks, the homemade masks, only have a wire up there. That’s not going to do the job. You have to have a nose clip that’s specially designed. It has some width to it, so that it’ll give you, when you put it in the proper position for a snug fit, it stays there. It keeps a nice seal between where you’re breathing and your glasses. So, that totally prevents fogging of glasses if you cinch down that nose clip.
Mark Alyn:
Got it. And it is breathable. Listen, we’ve put doctor’s website address up if you’re interested in taking a look at it. It is not an expensive item and for an equivalent N95 and we appreciate your time.
Doctor Ron Gertsch:
Thank you.
Mark Alyn:
Thank you. I’m Mark Alyn. This is LateNight Health. We’ll see you next time.
