“ Voices are calling me, be my night!, this devil’s sigh
Yeah, shadows are tainting me, yeah
I know that only you can render pain

Peace of mind, you run away from me
So make me lose my MASK OF SANITY”

                                                                                     -Children Of Bodom

The “New Normal” has thrown us into a world of perpetual cover-up. No, not the controversy theories, but the covering-up of our faces. Many governments and related organizations have emphasized the importance of face masks to curtail the spread of the C-virus. However, has the long-term effects of masks, especially on the children and the elderly, been given enough consideration? 

To understand the effects of masks, we first need to understand the types of masks being used by the population and their effectiveness or lack thereof.

Common types of masks and their effectiveness.

Since the start of this circus, over two years ago, the entire world has followed the preaching of two main entities: 

The CDC:  The U.S. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and

The W.H.O: No, not the legendary rock band but, the World Health Org.

This resulted in public health officials recommending the wearing of face masks to control the spread of the novel C-virus. Although scientifically proven and effective, the general mentality of the public was a totally different issue.

Something covering the face does not make it a face mask, and that too, one that is recommended by the health professionals. The scientifically uninformed public, coupled with economic constraints, and even the scarcity of the recommended mask in many developing countries resulted in people now wearing different types of face coverings, including items found around the house, as masks.

But how effective are each of these face coverings?

1. The Bandana

A bandana is a triangular piece of cloth, usually decorative, used to shield the mouth and nose from dust. Nowadays, any piece of cloth is wrapped around the face resembling a bandana.

Effective in masking one’s face during a train robbery but not effective at all in protecting oneself from an airborne virus.

Bandanas do provide some protection against cough or sneeze-related “spray”, decreasing the effective spread of the aerosols from 8 feet to about 4 feet. 

But, there being no filtration of particles nor total isolation of the mouth and nose from the environment, protection is at best minimal.

2. Homemade/ Store-Bought Cloth Mask

A piece of cloth sewn together at home or by the neighborhood seamstress with straps to go around the ears. These popped up in the thousands when masks were first mandated mainly due to the supply shortage and the overpricing of the medical-grade masks.

A bit of a better fit than a loosely bound bandana but still far from ideal protection. It does decrease the effective spread of aerosols from a sneeze or a cough to about 2 inches. This prevents an infected person from spreading aerosols from a sneeze or a cough far into the environment.

As far as protection goes, though, it depends on the number of layers used. A single layer mask provides about 1% particle filtration while a double layer about 35% particle filtration. 

Remember: Particle filtration and Virus filtration are two different things.

3. Cloth Masks with Filter

These are the same store-bought masks with a pocket. This pocket is used to insert reusable filter material.

For Example, use folded facial tissues as a filter; simply slip the folded tissue into the filter pocket. Change the tissue filter daily.

Of course, this setup only increases the number of effective layers in the mask and is still a better preventer of particle spread than a protector from the virus.

4. Disposable Surgical Masks

Surgical masks are flat, thin, paper-like masks, usually white and light blue. These masks can filter out about 60% of smaller, inhaled particles.

Studies have shown that diligently wearing surgical masks in public spaces can significantly reduce the spread of respiratory infection.

But,

Surgical masks are not designed to be used more than once. Ideally, you should dispose of a mask after wearing it.

5. Cone Style Masks

Molded masks that fit over the mouth and nose form a cone shape. Cone-style face masks are less effective at containing droplets and spray than cloth face masks but more effective than a bandana.

CAUTION: Masks with exhalation valves or vents should not be worn to help prevent infection spread. This is because the vent allows unfiltered air to escape.

Finally, we enter the realm of the true virus barriers.

6. Respirators

On the left is the N95

On the right the KN95

which are the most common.

N95 face respirators protect the person wearing the mask, unlike the above-mentioned masks which protect others from the wearer. The reason why the N95 is so effective against respiratory diseases is that it filters out 95% of airborne particles from the air inhaled.

The difference between the N95 and the KN95 masks is:

KN95 respirators are made to China specifications and standards and N95s are made to U.S. design standards.  

More effective than the N95 respirators are:

N99 providing 99% filtration, and

N100 providing 99.97% filtration.

Now that we have understood the effectiveness of the different types of commonly used masks by the general public, we can now understand the drawbacks of prolonged use.

Adverse Effects of Masks

Here are Seven Long-term Side Effects of Masks, especially when they are used for an extended time and with an everyday frequency.

Shortness of Breath and Lightheadedness

Talking, yelling, singing, and even breathing result in the expulsion of air in varying amounts. Expelled air primarily consists of Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ). This CO2-saturated air is easily trapped in the space between the face and the mask and is not recycled afresh with every breath due to the constrictive nature of the mask itself. The effect of the mask is CO2 saturation in successive inhaled breaths.

This leads to a build-up of CO2 saturation in the body. High CO2 levels result in shortness of breath and gasping for air. When it gets severe, it could also lead to lightheadedness, dizziness, and blackouts.

This effect of masks has been frequently observed during exercise when people have passed out right in the middle of their workout without any apparent reason.

Headaches

One of the long-term effects of masks is prolonged and repeated episodes of headaches.

This may be due to the tight–fitting band around the head all day, the stress caused by conscious breathing through the additional layers of the mask, or changes in the Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide ratios in the blood.

Acne

Hygiene plays an important role in any personal artifact used on a daily basis or even multiple times during the day. None of us would ever use a dirty toothbrush, would we?

Reusing unwashed masks or single-use disposable masks can lead to inhalation of accumulated dust and other particle contaminants trapped within the mask material leading to clogged pores and causing acne breakouts around the chin and cheeks.

Bacteria and Virus Buildup

Bacteria and Viruses love moist and warm environments and thrive in them. All of us have experienced this when we have covered our nose with a handkerchief sometime or the other, haven’t we?

But the effect of masks is for a longer duration than a hanky. This long duration facilitates a moist and warm environment for the bacteria and viruses to breed. Coupled with poor hygiene, this could lead to additional illness.

Consider a person with a viral infection continuously breathing into the mask. CO2 levels are getting saturated and the viruses are trapped and multiplying in the mask itself. The person is thus successively inhaling breaths saturated with the virus and CO2.

A deadly combination that would inhibit recovery from the infection or worse.

Chronic Dermatitis

Some masks, especially surgical masks have their nonwoven fabric made by using chemicals to bond the fibers together. People with sensitive skin are prone to develop some form of dermatitis and skin irritation due to extended use.

This could have long-term consequences in terms of recurrence and scarring of the skin around the face.

 Weakened Immune System

Studies indicate that low oxygen levels in the tissues (hypoxia) can suppress some aspects of the immune response of our bodies. Scientific investigations have proven that the ability of our immune system to tackle infections is affected, especially in older and younger people, due to a prolonged denial of enough oxygen in the body.

Skin Wrinkles

The pressure of the mask on the face results in another long-term effect of mask usage.

New Patterns Of Skin Wrinkling.

Development of Chronic Respiratory Conditions

Due to the very nature of the fabric itself, sometimes microfibers of the material could be inhaled. This is especially true for nonwoven fabric like the one used in surgical masks.

For some people, this can trigger an asthma-like inflammatory response in the lungs. In the long term, it could develop into a chronic condition.

Additional Reading: Long-Term Effects of Masks.

                                                                       Adverse Effects of Masks among Health Care Pros.

                   COVID vs Influenza.

Masking Children

A Controversial debate arises when the children are put into the equation and rightly so; don’t you think?

Children are at very low risk from SARS-CoV-2. Similarly with regards to the spread of the virus among children or teachers, or others at home. This is due to the fact that they are young and their immune systems are still un-tarnished with unhealthy life choices, unlike adults.

Children have an active and adaptive immune system. This system requires constant challenges in order to retain its integrity and effectiveness. An unused army cannot suddenly wake up and fight. The body needs to fight off viruses and bacteria on a regular basis to be fighting fit. It’s like exercise, a once a year workout has no benefit.

A child unexposed to nature and its germs has little defense against a minor illness.

By severely restricting children’s activities by implementing lockdowns and masking, since any physical activity is almost impossible while wearing a mask, we are compromising their immune systems with a double-edged sword of no exercise and non-exposure to everyday viruses and bacteria that keep their immunity at peak levels. 

This is a studied fact. In rare cases where a child is infected, it is not severe and does not lead to death. The exception just as in adults, as there always exists an exception, are children with a pre-existing chronic illness.

Masking can do positive harm to children and adults alike. Children should not be required to wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Remember:

Zero Risk Is Not Attainable

Anything developed by Pharma and imposed by government agencies:

Masks, Vaccines, and Social Distancing included,

Cannot change this truth. 

A German Study

 A study in Germany with the cooperation of 20,353 parents collected reported data from almost 26,000 children.

It was determined that the average time of mask usage was 270 minutes/ day.

Resulting observations in 68% of the test subjects were found and compiled by the parents themselves. These included irritability (60%), headache (53%), difficulty concentrating (50%), less happiness (49%), reluctance to go to school (44%), malaise (42%) impaired learning (38%), and drowsiness or fatigue (37%).

Read: The Complete Study in detail.

verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance

Brown University scientists conducted a study collecting data on 1,600 children between the ages of 0 and 5 from their caregivers who have been enrolled in the study.

605 kids administered prior to March 2020, when COVID lockdowns and masking began, were first analyzed from 1,070 assessments.

A further 154 assessments from 118 kids administered between March 2020 and June 2021, during the height of the pandemic, were analyzed.

And Finally, 39 children born in 2018 and 2019 were analyzed over the course of the pandemic, into 2021.

The study analyzed the cognitive development of the youngsters, from infancy through childhood and adolescence.

Three widely accepted measures of child development were considered:

Early learning composite (ELC),

Verbal development quotient (VDQ), and

Non-Verbal development quotient (NVDQ).

A child’s ELC is determined from their motor, visual reception, receptive, and expressive language scales. This is similar to an IQ score for adults.

Both development quotients observe the progress of maturity of a child with regards to their language and other skills relative to a sample of youngsters their age.

The shocking results:

The ELC mean result dropped by 23 %.  This calculated from a high of just under 100 in 2019, to around 80 in 2020, and finally 77 in 2021.

The VDQ dropped, from an average of 100 in 2018 to just below 90 in 2020, and around 70 in 2021.

Similarly, the NVDQ also dipped from a mean score of 105 in 2019, to 100 in 2020 and around 80 in 2021.

The concurrence from the data was that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance. 

Additionally, the effects of masks worn by children include an impact on a range of early developing skills, such as attachment, facial processing, and socio-emotional processing.

Developing children need to see the subtle verbal or facial cues of others to accurately process how someone is feeling. Not being able to see someone’s face also confuses children about whether something or a situation is safe or dangerous.

These are serious personality drawbacks for future social situations and interactions.   

Read: Effect of Masks on Child Development

So what’s it going to be?

Mask On: Mask Off

Credits:

Infographic vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com