Why do people wear surgical masks or dust masks when commuting???

to avoid breathing pollution, I would imagine.





I've seen lawn mowers do this.Why do people wear surgical masks or dust masks when commuting???
they all want to look like michael jacksonWhy do people wear surgical masks or dust masks when commuting???
because they don't want to breathe in pollution


because they don't want to catch germs from all the surrounding people


OR


because they are very considerate and don't want to make other people ill (this is commonly done in Japan)
People are using disposable face masks to reduce communicable disease. The BEST way to reduce communicable disease is to wash your hands often.
SO TYHE DO NOT INHALE POLLUTION GOOD IDEA IF YOU ASK ME.
because they are afraid of getting someone Elsa grams.
They are freaks who need help for their OCD issues. Wearing a mask is not going to cut down polution that dramatically. If you are THAT worried abotu the air, move out of the city!!!!
because our air sucks, there are alot of allergens in the air and pollution, many more people today are having respitory problems,
I think in the mistaken belief it will help them to sop breathing in all the fumes.
Because of the crowded conditions on commuter transportation, the chance of catching a cold or other illness goes way up. People wear the surgical masks in hope of preventing this.
If they have a mask with a carbon filter that would help to reduce the amount of pollution the breath in.





I've seen quite a few cyclists that wear them and don't blame them one bit. It must be quite nasty cycling into London at rush hour.
I have to smile when I see this, Masks filter out the particulates but not the gases. To breathe clean air you would have to walk around wearing breathing apparatus.
I saw a lot of Japanese people wearing masks when I visited. When I asked why I was told it was because that's what people with colds and flu do to stop them infecting everybody else. Not sure if that's right but I can well believe it and seems like a damn good idea really!
Either paranoid or really considerate.
some people are paranoid about pollution. to be fair, if i lived in a big city like london id wear one...i hate the black snot i come home with!!
huh...never heard of that. Where is this New York, D.C.? A guess, bacteria, that is everywhere though...good question.