Duke researchers say mask study wasn't meant to disparage neck gaiters.

— Duke University research that showed how poorly some face coverings perform wasn't exactly the intent of the study, researchers said Wednesday

The study that WRAL News first reported last week showed neck gaiters do a better job at spreading the coronavirus than containing it, a detail that has since gotten nationwide media attention

But Martin Fischer, an associate research professor in Duke's chemistry department who participated in the study, said the research was geared toward demonstrating a way to study the effectiveness of masks and other face coverings

Researchers used a laser in a box and a camera to record respiratory particles that might escape from different masks

"It is amazing to see how many particles come out of your mouth when you speak," Fischer said

A fitted N95 mask performed the best, but according to the researchers, a neck gaiter used in the test did the worst – appearing to break droplets into smaller particles that then escaped into the air

"Not all neck gaiters are the same," 14-year-old Dylan Clark said

"There are a ton of neck gaiter masks out there, and just because they tested one, it doesn’t apply to all of them.”

"We have seen so many customers reordering masks – individuals and companies," Dylan Clark said

"Just because we had one bad mask does not diss all the other masks," he said

The research team plans to study next how particles escape from masks, whether they're coming from gaps around the edges or moving through the fabric, he said