Some People Think Face Masks Are Unsafe. Is It True?

Now that we have all been wearing masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, few people are claiming that oxygen level decreases when they have a face mask on.

One driver, on April 23, 2020, crashed his SUV into a pole in Lincoln Park, which is located in New Jersey. He blamed the mask for his collision. He told the police that he was wearing an N95 mask for too long. Before believing these wordings, we need to have detailed knowledge before thinking that this is true. Some who oppose the masks downplay the dangers of the coronavirus, which causes mild illness in most of the cases, but has also costed the life of about 159,000 Americans.
Initially, seen as a bipartisan way to fight the virus, masks are now part of the main discussion in the country. The president and some Republican lawmakers resist wearing masks.

Last week, a video circulated the social media, an angry woman in Orange Country, California told officials that the mask makes her breathe her carbon dioxide, which we know is a waste product, which we exhale. She claimed that God gave her the ability to extract CO2 from her body, and the officials are telling them to breathe in CO2.

After hearing from the woman, the country changed the requirements of wearing a mask to just a recommendation, but the state still requires masks in most of the places outside the home.Another woman, Donna Lea Merritt, a Berks County, Pa., who attended several protests against Pennsylvania’s lockdown because of coronavirus earlier this spring and also about carbon dioxide and masks. She wears a mask only when required and also forces on the issue.

She claims that masks reduce the oxygen level, and increases one’s toxin inhalation. She said that it puts her immune system under stress and increases the probability of infection. She claims of getting her information online, including a show on Facebook, called The High Wire With Del Bigtree.

Shiva Ayyadurai, a biological engineer who is working for Senate as an anti-deep state Republican in Massachusetts, says the surgical (one time) and cloth masks are too porous and cannot cease the virus. He says that it is better for strengthening our immune system.

Russell Blaylock, a retired Mississippi neurosurgeon, claims that masks can affect the intake of oxygen as well as carbon dioxide and also immune system’s functioning. Experts in the field of infectious disease said that masks are an imperfect way to defend against the virus. But evidence has scaled that when combined with social distancing, frequent hand washing, and eye protection, can slow the spread of coronavirus. The primary benefits are not to the individual wearer, but other people in the surroundings. When a person wearing mask coughs, sneezes, or simply breathes, the mask as a barrier blocks the flight of virus droplets. Many of the droplets never make it out and which makes don’t go too far.

Pennsylvania’s health department is fond of saying, “My mask protects you, your masks protect me”, which has been a hard concept for many to understand but is true. When the virus arrived in the United States, protective equipment like masks was in short supply, and so health care workers couldn’t get enough of it. Experts argued that the masks wouldn’t offer much protection to the rest of the people.

Ravina Kullar, an infectious disease consultant to Los Angeles nursing homes and a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, was among those who initially recommend against masks. She said, “The way this virus is behaving is nothing like other we’ve seen”.

As per infectious disease specialist, said that there is no evidence to support the idea that cloth and surgical masks- the masks especially worn by doctors and nurses- lead to breathing problems, they don’t fit that tightly enough to impede airflow or tram carbon dioxide. They can make some people feel a little claustrophobic.

An infectious disease doctor at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, Amesh Adalja said: “It’s cumbersome to have a mask on, and that’s what people notice”.

Kullar said that American’s aren’t used to wearing masks and hence people are trying to find reasons not to wear a mask and are questioning everything. N95 masks, which are also trending these days, are a bit more complicated. They are better at filtering tiny viruses than the other masks and also fit tightly against face. There has been a shortage of N-95 masks and hence it has been reserved for the medical workers who use them around coronavirus patients who are coughing or getting procedures that can force virus into the air.

There is some evidence that N95s can lead to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels when they are used for long periods, especially by people having chronic lung issues or are obese. Adalja suggested that they are not meant for long-term use, and doctors should try to take breaks in between, not wearing them. They are not recommended for the general public. However, masks do not lead to serious health problems.

Fraimow said medical workers have been wearing N95s for longer periods than they used to do in the past and they aren’t facing problems. Some doctors even cover them using a surgical mask. This can make it feel harder to breathe or do things like climbing stairs and can be uncomfortable.

In rare cases, it can be pretty dangerous, inhaling high level of carbon dioxide may be life-threatening. Hypercapnia can cause vertigo, inability to concentrate, headache, double vision, tinnitus (hearing a noise like ringing or buzzing), seizures, or suffocation due to the displacement of air. But this is only possible when a person wears a mask for too long.

So, we can say that carbon dioxide is not a big issue, not wearing a mask is the issue. We should put on the masks and not argue for the sake of our health.