for everyone in the u.s. to start wearing them if they wanted to? i think so, jake, but this is a remarkably hard question to still answer. even as reporters going on, looking at all the various sites, looking at what the cdc says availability is but also nonprofits like project n95 which is a great site people should go to if they re trying to find masks and make sure the masks are real masks, not counterfeit masks. but you re right. still, it s not clear, dr. fauci says there should be enough of these masks now. the n95 masks. and by the way, we ve talked about this. but n95 masks like this one, you want to make sure that they are legitimate masks. there s all sorts of different ways to do this. various websites will tell you how to do it. but one thing is if they have the loops around the back of the head, that s a pretty good sign you ll get a mask that has a more snug fit as opposed to just the ear loops. just a little tip there in terms of trying to figure out which mask works.
that s why i recommend that everyone goes to a national clearing house like project n95 or be healthy usa. they vet kn95s for quality. there s a lot of those listed on their websites for people to go and check out high-quality kn95s that are legitimate. so, doctor, let s go over those websites. i think it s really important that we reemphasize. that there are places you can find out. and there are so many fake non-working masks available, right? absolutely. this is where the n95s is clear-cut for adults only. there are no n95s for kiddos. we use something called happy masks. there are kf94s that are fit for children. i encourage parents to do that. i think your team has a figure that we can show some brands of incredible n95 masks, but project n95, google it. project n95 and behealthy usa.
reporter: aaron collins, a self-proclaimed mask nerd, is a mechanical engineer with a background in aerosol science. there is significant improvement in the amount of aerosol that you ll be ix posed to when everyone is wearing an n95 and you re wearing an n95. it s worth reminding people why exactly they work so well. it has to do with the actual material. there are electrostatically charged fibers in here. it s not just filtering particles but attracting particles like a blanket might attract your socks in the dryer. also it works for air not potentially coming in but air potentially going out. one key thing about the n95 masks is you have to make sure that it actually fits really well. having these two bands around the back of your head and making sure no air is escaping around your eyes or your cheeks or your chin. studies have shown that cloth masks can have about 75%
leakage. a surgical mask, 50%. but with an n95, it can go down to as low as 1%. even with the cdc s updated mask guidance, there s still no explicit recommendation to wear an n95. however, on thursday, president joe biden announced a step in the right direction. next week we ll announce how we re making high quality masks available to the american people for free. reporter: if you buy your own, the average cost of an n95 is just under $2. that s according to project n95, a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about high filtration masks. but how to pick the right one can be bewildering. there are more than 6,000 different models of approved respirators. a federal agency evaluates safety equipment like masks. it s an incredibly difficult