Face Masks in the Covid-19 Era

Facemasks in the COVID-19 era: A health hypothesis

Facemask study. Published on US gov website last year. Researcher from Stanford University called Baruch Vainshelboim. In it, he cites 67 scholars, doctors, scientists, and other studies to support his conclusions.

Volume 146, January 2021, 110411

Conclusion

The existing scientific evidences challenge the safety and efficacy of wearing facemask as preventive intervention for COVID-19. The data suggest that both medical and non-medical facemasks are ineffective to block human-to-human transmission of viral and infectious disease such SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, supporting against the usage of facemasks.

Wearing facemasks has been demonstrated to have substantial adverse physiological and psychological effects. These include hypoxia, hypercapnia, shortness of breath, increased acidity and toxicity, activation of fear and stress response, rise in stress hormones, immunosuppression, fatigue, headaches, decline in cognitive performance, predisposition for viral and infectious illnesses, chronic stress, anxiety and depression.

Long-term consequences of wearing facemask can cause health deterioration, developing and progression of chronic diseases and premature death. Governments, policy makers and health organizations should utilize prosper and scientific evidence-based approach with respect to wearing facemasks, when the latter is considered as preventive intervention for public health.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987720333028?via%3Dihub

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-629043235973

CLAIM: A Stanford University study published on the National Institutes of Health website proves face masks are absolutely worthless against COVID-19.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. This study is not affiliated with Stanford University, nor does the author work for the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System as he claims. The study presents a hypothesis that includes false claims about the health effects of wearing masks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend wearing face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as research shows they can block the transmission of respiratory droplets, which spread the virus.

Also it's lunacy saying that face masks are ineffective at blocking transmission of covid-19 and at the same time also saying face masks can block out air & cause shortness of breath. Covid-19 particles are larger than the air we breath in and out. If face masks can reduce the amount of air, it can reduce transmission of covid-19. Simple as that.

In reality face masks doesn't cause that many health problems. There are cases though, but most people are fine wearing face masks.

Proof that Masks Do More Harm than Good

8th October 2020

(Truths about Masks that Politicians and the BBC Probably Forgot to Mention)

   Face masks have been proven to do harm but not proven to do good. Forcing citizens to wear them is a form of oppression. Support for mask wearing comes from individuals promoting face masks for political rather than health reasons. There is now considerable support for masks to be worn out of doors and even in the home. There is absolutely no scientific reason for this.

   Over a dozen scientific papers show clearly that masks are ineffective in preventing the movement of infective organisms. They also reduce oxygen levels and expose wearers to increased levels of carbon dioxide.
   
Nine medical authors from Australia and Vietnam studied cloth face masks and concluded that cloth masks should not be recommended for health care workers.

   Wearing a mask for long periods could cause pulmonary fibrosis. Loose fibres are seen on all types of masks and may be inhaled causing serious lung damage.

   Researchers in France proved that wearing a surgical mask causes breathlessness.

   Masks should be changed every couple of hours and old masks should be disposed of safely. If cloth masks are worn, they should be washed at high temperatures twice a day. Disposable masks should be discarded after one use. (Masks thrown down in the street are a serious health hazard.)

   Evidence proving the danger and ineffectiveness of masks has been banned, blocked or deleted. Discussion and debate about the value of face masks is suppressed.

   In September 2020, 70 Belgian doctors claimed that mandatory face masks in schools are a major threat to child development.

   A leading German virologist claims that face masks are a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria and fungi.

   Dentists in New York have reported that mask wearing causes gum disease and dental cavities. The dentists say that face coverings lead to mouth dryness and an increase in the build-up of bacteria.

   Exemption certificates/cards can be obtained online for those who are unable to wear a mask.

   Some face masks may have pores five thousand times larger than virus particles.

   Masks should never be touched once in place. If a mask is touched it must be replaced immediately.

   No one should wear a mask while exercising. There have been several reports of masked children dying while exercising. There is evidence showing that mask wearing reduces blood oxygen levels even when the wearer is standing still. Individuals who exercise are likely to sweat. Masks then become damp more quickly and the damp promotes the growth of microorganisms.

   There is a risk that viruses may accumulate in the fabric of a mask – thereby increasing the amount of the virus being inhaled.

   Putting a mask on a baby or unconscious patient is dangerous. The mask may result in the wearer choking on vomit.

   Some of the carbon dioxide exhaled with each breath is trapped behind the mask.

   One study of health workers wearing masks showed that a third developed headaches requiring painkillers. Another study showed that 81% developed headaches – and their work was affected.

   A mask can reduce blood oxygenation by up to 20% – leading to a possible loss of consciousness. At least one road crash has been blamed on a driver wearing a mask. Police reported that the driver of a single car crash in New Jersey is believed to have passed out behind the wheel after wearing a mask for too long.

   Over a dozen studies failed to show that wearing a mask provides protection against infection.

   Masks are being used as a conditioning tool to make us more compliant.

   A study of 53 surgeons showed that there were statistically significant falls in blood oxygen levels after masks had been worn for a few hours. It is important to remember that surgeons who wear masks (and not all do) work while standing, rather than walking, and they work in a controlled, air conditioned environment. They do not touch their masks and they change them regularly.

   The fact that the rules about mask wearing vary from place to place proves that there is no `science’ behind the advice to wear masks. So, for example, why should the coronavirus spread from person to person in a shop but not in an office?

   There were no mask requirements in Sweden, and the mortality rate there remained below a bad flu season. The average age of Swedish citizens who died of covid-19 was well over 80 years.

   A meta-analysis of controlled trials of face masks published in May 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control in the US, concluded that masks `did not support a substantial effect on transmission of laboratory confirmed influenza, either when worn by infected persons or by persons in the general community to reduce their susceptibility’.

   A meta- analysis published in May 2016 concluded that masks did not have any useful effect but that reuse of contaminated masks did transmit infection.

   In 2019, a paper involving 2,862 volunteers and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that both surgical masks and N95 respirators `resulted in no significant difference in the incidence of laboratory confirmed influenza’.

   In 2011, a meta-analysis of 17 separate studies showed that none of the research showed masks to be useful in preventing influenza infection.

   In 2009, a paper published in the Journal of Occupational Environmental Hygiene concluded that particles passed through masks and that expelled particles were deflected around the edges of masks.

   Research published in 2005 concluded that there was more transmission of virus laden particles from masked individuals than from unmasked individuals because of `leakage’ jets of air. Backward unfiltered air flow was found to be stronger with mask wearers (suggesting that standing behind someone wearing a mask could be dangerous).

   A study published in the BMJ in 2015 found that the penetration of cloth masks was almost 97%.

   N95 masks are made with a 0.3 micron filter. The name comes from the fact that 95% of particles having a diameter of 0.3 microns are filtered by the mask. Unfortunately, coronaviruses are approximately 0.125 microns in diameter.

   An article entitled `Is a mask necessary in the operating theatre?’, published in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1981 found no difference in wound infection rates with or without surgical masks. A paper published in 1991 showed that the use of masks slightly increased the incidence of infection.

   It was proved in 1920 that cloth masks do not stop flu transmission. It was concluded then that the number of layers of fabric required to prevent pathogen spread would be suffocating. It was also recognised that there was a problem with leakage around the edges of masks.

   Mask wearers are encouraged to demonise non-mask wearers (even if they are disabled in some way). This is part of the psychological warfare battle being fought.

   There have been suggestions from various authorities that mask wearing and social distancing will need to be permanent. It has also been suggested that masks should be worn in the home.

   Masks collect fungi, bacteria and viruses and because of the moist air exhaled they are an excellent breeding ground.

   `We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offer little, if any, protection from infection…In many cases the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.’ – New England Journal of Medicine, 2020

   Research published in June 2020 suggested that the reduction in blood oxygen and the increase in carbon dioxide, resulting from mask wearing, might cause a strain on the heart and kidneys.

   Mask wearers are more likely to develop infection than non-mask wearers. This may be due to the fact that masks reduce blood oxygen levels and adversely affect natural immunity. It is likely that anyone who wears a face mask for long periods will have a damaged immune system – and be more susceptible to infection. Studies have shown that hypoxia can inhibit immune cells used to fight viral infections. Wearing a mask may make the wearer more likely to develop an infection – and if an infection develops it is likely to be worse.

   Masks can cause hypercapnia (increased carbon dioxide). Symptoms of hypercapnia include drowsiness, dizziness and fatigue.

   A mask worn by a child in school was examined in a laboratory. Tests showed 82 bacterial colonies and 4 mould colonies growing on the mask.

   In May 2020, Dr Fauci, the American covid-19 expert, concluded that masks are little more than symbolic – virtue signalling.

   Although they have not been tested extensively, visors are probably just as useless as masks but they may be less dangerous to wearers.

https://vernoncoleman.org/articles/proof-masks-do-more-harm-good

As a disabled, retired chippy, I unfortunately find information and questions arising from or linked to in many of your posts flies very high over my head.

My CSE grade 4 in woodwork did not prepare me at all for considering and assessing conflicting theories that inevitably arise at the cutting edge of human knowledge and understanding.

Any chance you might just express in simple terms what you consider to be the broader implications of the consistent narrative you promote?

The "consistent narrative" is to question everything. The broader implications are for you to discover.

Medical Journal Warns About Masks’ Potentially Devastating Consequences

April 15, 2021

American Institute for Economic Research

Excerpt:
"YouTube has taken it upon itself to censor the opinions of esteemed scientists that depart from the orthodoxy on masks. This is not surprising given that masks have become dogma – a visible symbol of compliance and fealty to the medical/political agenda that elevates the coronavirus above all else."

https://www.aier.org/article/medical-journal-warns-about-maskss-potentially-devastating-consequences/

The Dangers of Masks

... the mass media seems incapable of doing the investigative type of journalism to fully inform the populace on what the public needs to know. We close by reiterating the warning in the JAMA publication that:

“Face masks should not be worn by healthy individuals to protect themselves from acquiring respiratory infection because there is no evidence to suggest that face masks worn by healthy individuals are effective in preventing people from becoming ill.”

Every act has a consequence, and there is always risk. It is therefore imperative to weigh the consequences before embarking on a specific course of action. These are risk management decisions especially for parents and not because a Dr. Fauci type tells you to do something means that it is accurate or necessary. Just consider the nonsense we heard about double masking where he said use them one day only to then retract on another day.

April 9, 2021

https://www.aier.org/article/the-dangers-of-masks/

sheeple wrote:The "consistent narrative" is to question everything. The broader implications are for you to discover.

That is great, but sometimes people don't go far enough. I have read about people refusing vaccines for their children, but at the same time are willing to put a potato on their sleeping child's head.
While the potato "treatment" is completely harmless, I wonder why they didn't question it.

There's so much in the world to be critical to. So much corruption and so many lies. Brexit, Qanon, vaccines, moon landing, the shape of the earth, big pharma, capitalism, socialism, China.. I could keep going on. It can quickly get overwhelming and stressful worrying about stuff.

Right now we know that covid killed millions, face masked killed nobody and the vaccines caused a few hundred deaths. I have looked at the different facts and numbers. I'm choosing to get vaccinated to protect my family. It's the least dangerous path. I am questioning people who choose to ignore millions of deaths but are against something that will save millions more.

Facemasks ‘potentially harmful to lungs’ may have been placed on Irish market

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is working to identify if facemasks containing a product which poses potential health risks were placed on the Irish market.

It follows a decision by Health Canada to recall thousands of facemasks containing the material graphene after research indicated it may cause lung toxicity if inhaled.

https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/facemasks-potentially-harmful-to-lungs-may-have-been-placed-on-irish-market-40343672.html

American Institute for Economic Research

"YouTube has taken it upon itself to censor the opinions of esteemed scientists that depart from the orthodoxy on masks. This is not surprising given that masks have become dogma – a visible symbol of compliance and fealty to the medical/political agenda that elevates the coronavirus above all else."

Well they would say that wouldn't they:-

A Right-Wing Think Tank Is Behind the Controversial Great Barrington Declaration Calling for COVID-19 Herd Immunity

ByDana DrugmandonOct 26, 2020

An open letter that emerged earlier this month opposing COVID-19 shutdowns and calling for a “herd immunity” approach to addressing the coronavirus — which already has claimed over 220,000 American lives — is one of the latest examples of how right-wing ideology and think tanks that have long cultivated climate science denial are now engaging in COVID disinformation and promoting messaging dangerous to public health.

Known as the Great Barrington Declaration, this statement advocating for herd immunity was introduced in early October at an event hosted by the American Institute for Economic Research, a conservative free-market think tank located in the western Massachusetts town of Great Barrington. This think tank, funded in part through a corporate investment firm with holdings in major oil and petrochemical companies, operates a network for the international business community that partners with other institutions backed by Koch and fossil fuel cash.

The herd immunity strategy, which the open letter describes as a “focused protection” approach, basically calls for allowing this highly infectious virus to spread throughout the population, in theory infecting enough individuals while somehow protecting the most vulnerable such as the elderly from getting sick in order to allow a resumption of daily life. Such a strategy would inevitably result in more deaths — by some estimates the American death toll would likely rise to between 1 million and 2.5 million — and is far from guaranteed from even reaching the intended goal of broad immunity.

https://www.desmog.com/2020/10/26/american-institute-economic-research-great-barrington-declaration-herd-immunity-covid-19/

Having worked in the building trade for several years, many professions have had to wear face masks all day due to the work they're carrying out. Demolition workers wear them probably the most due to all the debris flying about. Having known a few over the years, they all seemed in perfectly good health to me.

Just thought I'd mention this...

sheeple wrote:Facemasks ‘potentially harmful to lungs’ may have been placed on Irish market

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is working to identify if facemasks containing a product which poses potential health risks were placed on the Irish market.

It follows a decision by Health Canada to recall thousands of facemasks containing the material graphene after research indicated it may cause lung toxicity if inhaled.

https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/facemasks-potentially-harmful-to-lungs-may-have-been-placed-on-irish-market-40343672.html

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/tesco-asda-aldi-waitrose-issue-23078477
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/tesco-aldi-asda-recall-cereal-20396807
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-to-know-about-the-vegetable-recall-linked-to-listeria

Meat, fruit, cereals and vegetables been recalled as they not been deem safe to eat. Are you going to stop eating all food just to avoid that 0.0001% risk of dying?

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/real-water-inc-issues-precautionary-recall-all-sizes-real-water-brand-drinking-water-due-possible

Oh, water also been recalled. Remember the Flint water crisis? You should also stop drinking water.

I fully expect more links and copied text instead of an actual reply, but I seriously think sheeple is in danger of dying from all the food and water they drink.

On a more serious note: I fully acknowledge that products of all kinds can be faulty or dangerous to people's health. Food safety is important. Same with face masks.

With regard to face masks, I have mine with me when I go shopping and I put it on when I enter a shop, out of politeness to the staff and not wanting to make a scene if challenged. I remove it when I exit the shop. I prefer to do without the hassle.

Learning from the past...

The influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919 was the most deadly flu outbreak in history, killing up to 50 million people worldwide. In the United States, where it ultimately killed around 675,000 people, local governments rolled out initiatives to try to stop its spread. These varied by region, and included closing schools and places of public amusement, enforcing “no-spitting” ordinances, encouraging people to use handkerchiefs or disposable tissues and requiring people to wear masks in public.

Mask-wearing ordinances mainly popped up in the western states, and it appears most people complied with them. The nation was still fighting in World War I, and officials framed anti-flu measures as a way to protect the troops from the deadly outbreak.

https://www.history.com/news/1918-spanish-flu-mask-wearing-resistance

To wear or not to wear? Adherence to face mask use during the COVID-19 and Spanish influenza pandemics

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7658591/

Bearing mind that Flu and Covid-19 is spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. People can also be infected by touching a contaminated surface and then their eyes, mouth or nose.

.....I also use hand sanitiser when entering shops and again upon leaving. I have a bottle of it in my bag and I wash my hands with soap and water several times each day.

Last spring a lot of people were really crazy about cleaning surfaces. At my local Sainsburys they cleaned the trolleys every 10 minutes it felt like. People used to leave their deliveries in the garage for a couple of days or disinfect them. And people used to cross the roads when they saw someone walking towards them. Don't see much of that any more.

I still wash my hands more often and more thoroughly as that's always been a good idea to reduce germs. Just like Caker I wear face mask when in shops but most often take them off when outside. Even before the pandemic I used to try avoid being to close to people on the streets, now at least it doesn't feel as bad trying to avoid them.

Some really good news.

Not a single case of flu detected by Public Health England this year as Covid restrictions suppress virus!

Experts say decline in infections could justify continued use of hand sanitiser and masks following coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/flu-cases-covid-england-phe-latest-b1805124.html

I have 90% alcohol sprays in all my jacket pockets.

Of course there are other options to face masks for those who think wearing them is bad for their health.

I suggest going out wearing this...

Tarquin Flotsam wrote:Of course there are other options to face masks for those who think wearing them is bad for their health.

I suggest going out wearing this...

Great idea!

Another idea:

https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/encore/20210128-bopping-in-a-bubble-the-flaming-lips-hold-live-gigs-in-plastic-balls

Without the need to dredge through the scientific literature, common sense indicates that sneezing in a mask is better at containing sputum droplets than sneezing in open air.
As for the danger of wearing one...just use your intellect.

Directing this post towards the more sceptical members of this forum..

Next week certain restrictions will be lifted. And many more next month. Maybe even face masks won't be needed. Wasn't these restrictions a way to control us forever, why will most of them soon be gone?

Almost everyone I know been vaccinated. Covid infections are going down, as well as the amount of people dying. Very few people have died of the vaccines. Wasn't these vaccines a way to kill most of the population and replace them with illegal immigrants, why are they instead protecting everyone?