Open Letter To My ASHI Family Regarding Wearing Masks and Respirators
My Experience in Home Inspection

I wish to say thank you to everyone who sent me good thoughts, energy, fruit baskets and more during my recent hospital stay.
For those who don’t know, I was recently admitted to the hospital and treated for septic pneumonia (the same condition that took the life of Jim Henson of Muppets fame). I had been feeling poorly for a few days, with a fever and cough, so I went to the emergency room, where I was x-rayed and tested for Covid-19, with negative results.
The doctors told me I had probably picked up a bug and sent me home with a suggestion to take Tylenol for the fever and to come back in a few days if I didn’t feel better. Two days later, my fever went above 103°F and my blood oxygen level dropped to 86. My wife insisted we go back to the ER immediately and I was too tired to argue. Had I let my ego delay me another day, I would not be writing this. It was that close. As it is, I will be recovering from the effects of the sepsis (brain fog, aches, pains and exhaustion) for a while.
What did I do wrong? I washed my hands and used sanitizer religiously, and I was fanatical about wearing my face mask. That was likely the issue—the face mask. I had adopted the habit of wearing the cotton masks my wife had been making since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone “wear a mask, wear a mask, wear a mask.”
At home inspections since the pandemic took hold, my habit was to wear a cotton face mask, not the P100-grade respirator mask that I also had in my tool bag. Then, at a recent inspection, a situation arose where I should have gone out to my vehicle to get and put on my P100 respirator mask. But I figured that, since I was already wearing a cotton face mask to protect myself from Covid-19, I didn’t need the extra protection that a respirator would give me from other dangerous, microscopic airborne particles.
It’s noteworthy that a few times when I had worn my nice, tight-fitting P100 mask at an inspection, I had been fussed at because some people assumed that because the respirator has an exhalation port, it was “not as safe” as a mask that protects from Covid-19. Well, when I go back into the field in a few weeks, I plan to wear only my P100 respirator mask and if anyone present objects, too bad. They shouldn’t be getting closer than 6 feet to me anyway. I could wear another mask over my P100 and I may, but it will depend on the situation. As for now, I am still fighting fatigue and brain fog.
I write this to all my ASHI colleagues and friends as a warning, not to garner sympathy or get cards or any more baskets. Don’t let Covid-19 and your ego lull you into face mask-wearing patterns that might give you a false sense of security because we, as home inspectors, may encounter many other dangerous infection sources, in addition to Covid-19, that could be just as threatening to your health. Wear the appropriate mask for the situation at hand, and do all you can to keep yourself and others safe and healthy.
Sincerely, Bob Sisson, Inspections by Bob, Frederick, Maryland
Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Considerations for Wearing Masks: Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19.
- NIOSH-Approved P100 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Respirators. Overview.
- US Food & Drug Administration. N95 Respirators, Surgical Masks and Face Masks.
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