No. I cannot emphasise this strongly enough. Surgical masks and cloth masks do not filter PM2.5. They trap large respiratory droplets — which is why they are effective for infection control — but PM2.5 particles are orders of magnitude smaller and pass straight through surgical mask material. The only masks that provide meaningful PM2.5 filtration are N95 respirators (which filter 95% of airborne particles) or N99/P100 respirators (even higher filtration). And even N95s must be properly fitted to provide their rated protection — a gap around the nose or chin eliminates most of the benefit.
