My own intuition is masks would be counterproductive, because they can change breathing patterns. Mask wearing may increase tidal volume - the amount of air inhaled and exhaled in each breath - to compensate for the stale air behind the mask. Deeper breathing would seem to get viral molecules deeper into our respiratory tract and make …
My own intuition is masks would be counterproductive, because they can change breathing patterns. Mask wearing may increase tidal volume - the amount of air inhaled and exhaled in each breath - to compensate for the stale air behind the mask. Deeper breathing would seem to get viral molecules deeper into our respiratory tract and make them more harmful, as we are told that lower respiratory infections are more likely to be harmful than upper respiratory infections.
One observational study out of Europe last spring suggested an increase in C-19 mortality from increased mask wearing. It was statistically significant but not that big: 10-20%. The strength of the study is that it looked at the 2nd COVID wave - a time period chosen because mask wearing policies were already in place before the start of the time period, and not in response to daily/weekly case counts. It is observational data so that is a big limitation.
Megan Mansell wrote a very interesting piece on how it was possible that the virus droplets being forced through the mask material actually might have the effect of making the particles smaller and thus more likely to get deeper into the lungs.
My own intuition is masks would be counterproductive, because they can change breathing patterns. Mask wearing may increase tidal volume - the amount of air inhaled and exhaled in each breath - to compensate for the stale air behind the mask. Deeper breathing would seem to get viral molecules deeper into our respiratory tract and make them more harmful, as we are told that lower respiratory infections are more likely to be harmful than upper respiratory infections.
One observational study out of Europe last spring suggested an increase in C-19 mortality from increased mask wearing. It was statistically significant but not that big: 10-20%. The strength of the study is that it looked at the 2nd COVID wave - a time period chosen because mask wearing policies were already in place before the start of the time period, and not in response to daily/weekly case counts. It is observational data so that is a big limitation.
https://www.cureus.com/articles/93826-correlation-between-mask-compliance-and-covid-19-outcomes-in-europe#article-information-publication-history
Megan Mansell wrote a very interesting piece on how it was possible that the virus droplets being forced through the mask material actually might have the effect of making the particles smaller and thus more likely to get deeper into the lungs.
Yes, she has written excellent pieces on how the masks can act as nebulizers. She also has an e-book on Amazon where she compiled her work.
It's analogous to how handheld sprayers work when misting plants or cleaning windows.
It frustrated me to no end that decision makers in schools and elsewhere preferred to listen to clueless doctors than to people like Mansell.