In a world-first clinical trial of the efficacy of masks, researchers found adult mask wearers* in the home were four times more likely than non-wearers to be protected against respiratory viruses, including the common cold.

The findings – published recently in Emerging Infectious Diseases, the journal of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – have global implications and are particularly relevant to efforts to combat the spread of flu pandemics and other emerging respiratory diseases such as SARS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126082530.htm

The prototype [home made] mask achieved a fit factor of 67 for 1 author with a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) panel face size of 4, a common size. Although insufficient for the workplace, this mask offered substantial protection from the challenge aerosol and showed good fit with minimal leakage.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no06/05-1468.htm

Please spread these links around widely. This is vital data.