As the mask nannies gear up the fear machine, they are all mentioning the infamous N-95 mask.
But here’s the thing. From the CDC:
When HCWs are working longer hours without a break while continuously wearing an N95 FFR, blood CO2 levels may increase past the 1-hour mark, which could have a significant physiological effect on the wearer (Lim et al., 2006)*. Some of the known physiological effects of increased concentrations of CO2 include:
- Headache;
- Increased pressure inside the skull;
- Nervous system changes (e.g., increased pain threshold, reduction in cognition – altered judgement, decreased situational awareness, difficulty coordinating sensory or cognitive, abilities and motor activity, decreased visual acuity, widespread activation of the sympathetic nervous system that can oppose the direct effects of CO2 on the heart and blood vessels);
- Increased breathing frequency;
- Increased “work of breathing”, which is result of breathing through a filter medium;
- Cardiovascular effects (e.g., diminished cardiac contractility, vasodilation of peripheral blood vessels);
- Reduced tolerance to lighter workloads.
So that’s just the side-effect from the mask itself and CO2 buildup. But there’s more. There’s the masks themselves:
Researchers from Jeonbuk National University in South Korea looked at two types of disposable medical-grade masks, as well as several reusable cotton masks.
The study found that the chemicals released by these masks had eight times the recommended safety limit of toxic volatile organic compounds (TVOCs).
Inhaling TVOCs has been linked to health issues like headaches and nausea, while prolonged and repeated has been linked to organ damage and even cancer.
Of course everyone remembers the toxic masks handed out to children in Canada, right?
And of course they don’t prevent getting any respiratory infection anyway.
They are merely a control mechanism, like a dog muzzle. Nothing more. Florida’s Surgeon General says to not mask. I concur.
Midwest Chick's Place 
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