Aesbeth

β›§πŸœβš§ ᏗᏋᏕᏰᏋᏖᏂ βš§πŸœβ›§

@Aesbeth

*judge in yeenish*

  • She/Her

α‘•YBΞ£Π―PЦПK Ζ¬Π―Ξ›ΠŸΖ§ Π©Ξ£Π―Ξ£Π©Σ¨α’ͺF FΠ―Σ¨M 1993

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πŸ¦‹ BlueSky (If this this work, I do a funny)
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Aesbeth
@Aesbeth
DoomMate
@DoomMate
kda
@kda

"but transit smells like piss"

Seeing as the facepieces on these last for years, and you can get a few months of use out of a set of cartridges if you're only using them for stuff like taking transit or attending concerts/other large events, they're pretty inexpensive.

Oh, also, they're better than even N95 masks for keeping pathogens out.

I'm not suggesting wearing an elastomeric respirator 24/7, but in particularly crowded settings, they've got serious advantages.

estradialup
@estradialup

I wear one instead of my V-Flexes, when the condition of my face will allow it, and I vastly prefer them despite everyone else's complaining about how they make me look weird or whatever. I really recommend them if you have things like panic disorders or severe asthma (I have both) can can legitimately be exacerbated by wearing a lot of types of N95s or equivalent. I have one of the common professional 3M ones, and got it when I was regularly having to use public transit. I've flown in mine multiple times, which you absolutely can do safely if you don't ever take it off.

Aesbeth
@Aesbeth

How does it makes one look weird?

It's fucking 2023! We're in the future where it's weird to NOT wear one, if I trust cyberpunk artworks from the 80's.

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in reply to @estradialup's post:

edania
@edania

🀩 awesome to see 🀩

okay so hi I have a few questions!

  • How did you navigate airport security?
  • Did they want to put it in the xray?
  • Which model is your preference to wear for those consecutive hours of flight?
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estradialup
@estradialup

The first few points are, unfortunately, the catch. Pretty much every respirator is totally non-metallic, but airport security will make you run it through the X-ray machine along with your carry-ons. I wear a high-end N95 up to that point, and then find somewhere isolated to swap them out. It's one of the less-degrading things about the whole process, at least for me, being trans. You're entitled to wear it once you go through TSA, and I've never had a problem beyond other passengers asking me irritating questions.
I wear a medium-sized 3M 7500 series. I really recommend going to a Home Depot or something and looking them in person. They're like shoes, in that regard, although if you roughly know your sizing, buying one sight-unseen is probably fine.

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edania
@edania

UUUUGGGGHHHH seriously? Seriously seriously?

I have the same kind of respirator, which I had for carpentry work and wildfire smoke. It's also what I planned to wear for safety through the whole airport experience, even after trying a loootttttt of other sorts of elastomeric respirators.

I figured the bulky filter cartridges might prompt xray, so I got the lowest-profile filters I could find (2297) and was thinking that I could just hold my breath for an ID check and they might let me resume wearing it after.

I have an Envo Pro as a secondary backup, and 3m aura disposables as a tertiary backup, I just. I really really really don't want to don/doff masks that many times in that kind of environment. My friends who fly with Flo Masks have said that they've been able to wear those through the whole bullshit security screening process, and I was hoping against hope that mine could be okay.

fuck fuck fuck. Fuck!!

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estradialup
@estradialup

I wouldn't expect to be able to wear anything beyond a regular N95 over my face though the security process, but again, trans. I get pat down in front of everyone, too. It's very frustrating, but once you get past the security process, you should be fine. I've always gotten flights with connections that don't require me to go back through security more than once, though, and I only fly when I really need to.

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edania
@edania

I'm also trans, and I was already expecting increased screening due to discrimination against queer bodies.

This will be my first flight in 4 years, and it's to visit ailing family members. But I traveled a lot before this whole virus catastrophe.

I've now submitted a request for assistance from TSA, so we'll see how that goes I guess.
( https://www.tsa.gov/contact-center/form/cares )

This wouldn't be such an issue if I hadn't already done my own qualitative fit testing on disposable n95s and confirmed that they don't maintain a great seal on my face after doffing. It sure would be a lot easier to navigate this without risking my life if governing bodies weren't currently subservient to health supremacy & eugenics.

super fucking cool world we live in

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estradialup
@estradialup

It sucks, yeah. There's no reason to make someone take an entirely-plastic respirator off for an airport security check beyond penny-ante cop planet shit. Flying is simply a thing I do not do anymore except in extraordinary circumstances. People should be entitled to wear a respirator though the entire process, hopefully you can find a way to work the system there.

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edania
@edania

Yeah....

I've been putting it off as long as I can justify to myself. But I've already lost some loved ones over these years, and just can't bear not trying to see some of them one more time.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your experiences. πŸ’•

It's really helpful to get another perspective about navigating this hellscape. πŸ’ž

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edania
@edania

ok coming back to say that things worked out really well, actually!

I think I'll make a post with the whole process later, but that paperwork lead to me having a private escort through the whole thing that handled the whole screening & could wave off everybody else. I learned that there's supposed to be a process in place to screen people with medical decices that can't be removed, and respirators like ours count for that.

Requesting this can be done at the checkpoint by stating that there are medical reasons the respirator can't be removed for periods longer than held breaths, and external swabbing is needed instead of the xray.

And if there's any pushback, I was told that one should say that they have "been through this process before and have medical reasons to speak to a Lead or Supervisor about security screening."

I also had a doctor's note prepared, but it was unneeded in this case.

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