Face masks: are they helpful or harmful?
Face masks might not be doing what you think they do and at times might even be damaging to your health.
Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan had stated that “there is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit – in fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite”.
Oxford University professors and scientists from Copenhagen University have declared that there is no evidence that can guarantee that face masks provide sufficient protection against Covid 19. A major study in Denmark also found that these don’t have a major impact on people who wear them, nor do they protect them as we thought they did.
Additionally, it seems that these are also causing several accidents. For example, back in April, a driver in New Jersey passed out due to a lack of oxygen and higher levels of CO2 caused by wearing a face mask over a long period of time. Additionally, a man from Wuhan city in China was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with lung collapse due to jogging with a face mask on.
Other effects caused by face masks can be seen in the graph below, which was created by a group of Argentine Metadisciplinary Epidemiologists. These symptoms match the ones in the WHO’s web page posted on June 5, 2020 called “Recomendaciones sobre el uso de máscaras en el contexto del COVID-19”, warning about the possible risks of the usage of masks by people in the general public.
“Ahogo, dolor de cabeza y malestar emocional, los efectos de usar barbijos.” La Prensa, www.laprensa.com.ar/492477-Ahogo-dolor-de-cabeza-y-malestar-emocional-los-efectos-de-usar-barbijos.note.aspx.
In addition, face masks could be harming your health according to science. I’ll give you a quick and simple explanation as to why this is. It all comes down to carbon dioxide and the effects it has on our body. The accumulation of this gas in our lungs has some terrible consequences, such damaging our tissues and organs, which may lead to respiratory failure. The only way we can get rid of this gas is through exhaling it. So, by wearing a face mask you are forcing your body to inhale the CO2 it expelled, which in consequence could start deteriorating the body. Otto Heinrich Warburg, winner of a Nobel Prize in Medicine, said that breathing your own carbon dioxide for more than two hours produces acidity in the blood, which according to him is one of the main causes of cancer. It also increases the risk for liver problems and heart disease.
If you are interested in this topic, I strongly suggest you to check out this article written by PhD Denis Rancourt, a former professor of physics, on the negative consequences of face masks. It will give you a detailed and researched-based explanation.
Besides these discoveries, there is the possibility that the use of face masks could be our next huge environmental threat as the majority of them are made from disposable plastic microfibers. We are using about 129 billion face masks globally every month, which is an approximation of 3 million a minute. This might be something to keep in mind.
I want to clarify that I am not saying that you should never wear face masks, they should be worn in crowded places. But, it might be better if you leave them aside when alone in the car or in other situations where there isn’t a crowd. With all the information available in today’s society, it makes it easier for people to be more aware of the current situation. In many countries it is mandatory to have a mask on outside at all times, I wonder if this is necessary after analyzing the information presented.
Sources:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/respiratory-failure#:~:text=Respiratory%20failure%20is%20a%20serious,oxygen%20delivery%20to%20the%20tissues.
https://twnews.co.uk/gb-news/major-new-study-finds-little-evidence-face-masks-protect-wearers
https://www.newschannel10.com/2020/08/13/daily-use-face-masks-causing-variety-health-issues-some-amarillo-residents/
http://www.laprensa.com.ar/492477-Ahogo-dolor-de-cabeza-y-malestar-emocional-los-efectos-de-usar-barbijos.note.asp, https://www.medlife.com/blog/risks-of-using-face-masks-during-exercise/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/03/210310122431. , htm https://www.apenb.org/causa-principal-del-cancer-la-acidez-de-nuestro/
https://www.wibw.com/content/news/WHO-Face-masks-could-do-more-harm-than-good-if-used-incorrectly–569229971.html
