Surgical masks: Fluid resistant and provides the wearer protection against large droplets, splashes, or sprays of bodily or other hazardous fluids. Protects the patient from the wearer’s respiratory emissions. Does NOT provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles and is not considered respiratory protection
N95 masks: Reduces wearer’s exposure to particles including small particle aerosols and large droplets (only non-oil aerosols). Filters out at least 95% of airborne particles including large and small particles.
The masks have and have always had completely different purposes. The fact that we are using both during this pandemic to protect against COVID not withstanding. Now, people are using surgical masks in novel new ways (with braces and such to try and retrofit a seal on them), but they were never intended for that.
Relevant to the comments about fluid resistance: the difference between 3m's medical N95 respirators and construction N95 respirators is often nothing more than color, being stamped with a lot #, and additional fluid resistance. For example, the 1860 vs 8210. [0]
Medical personnel using the construction respirators out of necessity can wear a surgical mask over them, it's something I've seen locally. (I don't know whether that's a practice that predates COVID 19)
This isn't rocket science, see:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandingDifference...
Surgical masks: Fluid resistant and provides the wearer protection against large droplets, splashes, or sprays of bodily or other hazardous fluids. Protects the patient from the wearer’s respiratory emissions. Does NOT provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles and is not considered respiratory protection
N95 masks: Reduces wearer’s exposure to particles including small particle aerosols and large droplets (only non-oil aerosols). Filters out at least 95% of airborne particles including large and small particles.
The masks have and have always had completely different purposes. The fact that we are using both during this pandemic to protect against COVID not withstanding. Now, people are using surgical masks in novel new ways (with braces and such to try and retrofit a seal on them), but they were never intended for that.