I can’t believe I’m writing another post about the importance of wearing a mask, months later, during an active pandemic when daily cases have reached an all-time, record high, but here we are... As a medical provider, I firmly believe in a non-judgemental approach to hearing patient’s opinions in hopes of educating them with objective facts and science. I’m sure many of you have seen the Palm Beach County meetings in Florida in which droves of uninformed citizens were shouting at medical professionals and municipal officials about their defiance to God, satanic laws, conspiracy agenda, ignorance of human physiology, and other outlandish claims. Throughout this article I will be using the words masks/face coverings interchangeably (just an FYI). Masks continue to remain a political choice, not a public health measure. So let’s chat about this…

We should probably talk about the various myths and false claims these individuals are making about masks/face coverings. First up at bat, we have masks “making people sick.” People are claiming that by wearing a mask, you are taking in less oxygen and more carbon dioxide which is leading to hypoxia (oxygen deficiency) and “carbon dioxide poisoning.” Let’s break this down. The air we breathe is about 20-21% oxygen and the remainder is mostly nitrogen (about 78%), with a few other elements thrown in. Now the average O2 (oxygen) molecule is 0.0005 microns small (really really small compared to the coronavirus that is about 0.05—0.2 microns large). The best quality, medical filtration masks are known as an N95 which protect the user and those around them. These are what we use as clinicians in medicine and nursing. They’re somewhat uncomfortable to wear because they are able to filter out objects down to 0.1 microns with 95% efficiency. So even these super effective filtration masks still allow for O2 molecules to pass freely as they still can’t filter out O2 at 0.0005 microns. Now let’s talk about CO2 (carbon dioxide). CO2 molecules are about 0.000232 microns large (really, really small). So these pass just as freely as O2 molecules even in the most filtrating masks such as N95s. So, when you wear a surgical mask or cloth face covering, the holes within the fabric are MASSIVE compared to an N95 therefore the air passes even more freely, both in and out.

Running along these claims is a video circulating around the interwebs of some gentleman using a gas detector which measures oxygen concentration in the air (which should be 21%). He places the device in front of his mouth without a mask and it reads around 20%. He then puts on a mask and puts it against his mouth and it reads 17-19%. This is due to the fact that he measured it when exhaling. Exhaled air contains less oxygen (about 16%) and while we think it is all CO2, in actuality it is only 4% of exhaled air. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) supports the use of masks and face coverings in the times of COVID-19, especially in the work place to help limit the spread of the virus. So the claims of this man and many others are incorrect. If masks caused low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels, then doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionsals would be passing out during their shifts or falling ill at alarming rates since the use of masks decades ago. Some surgeons perform procedures that exceed 10 hours wearing masks and they are not collapsing. If you measure your oxygen saturation with and without a mask, it will not change. The only people who are at risk of wearing a mask are those who are starved for air and require every bit of respiratory drive such as those with severe heart failure or lung disease. These individuals are typically isolating at home through all of this and do not need to wear a mask. Also, children under 2 years of age should not wear masks because it would be near impossible to have such a young child keep it on, their airways are smaller which would make it harder to breathe, and the risk of suffocation because of nose/mouth breathing is higher in younger children (<2 years old). So to wrap up this first point, CO2 and O2 molecules are much smaller than even the best filtration masks and pass freely, both in and out, especially ones that are being mandated. No you won’t pass out or get sick from wearing a mask. Just don’t wear it if you are physically exerting yourself and can physically distance while exercising vigorously, have severe lung/heart disease, or are under the age of two (hopefully you wouldn’t be reading this if you’re <2 years old). If you are able to be walking around in public, you can definitely wear a mask (plain and simple).

Next stop, let’s chat about those saying “masks don’t do anything anyways.” *Insert game show buzzer* Wrong again. While N95s are truly the only masks which protect both the wearer and those around them, surgical masks and face coverings offer a lot of protection. Large droplets expelled when speaking are blocked by even the cheapest, homemade masks. We know that the actual coronavirus cannot be filtered out by these masks but in order to become infected we know you would need to be exposed to thousands of viral particles. If cloth masks prevent droplets containing these large amounts from being expelled into the air and only tiny droplets with just a few hundred viral particles are dispersed, then by wearing a mask you are in fact protecting yourself as well as protecting others. Think of it this way. If Daffy Duck were talking to Sylvester the Cat, it would be a COVID-19 nightmare. They’d be spitting all over each other while talking. If they’re presymptomatic or asymptomatic, they would be spewing viral particles at an alarming rate into their environment. If Daffy was wearing a mask but Sylvester wasn’t, Sylvester would be safe (try spitting through a cloth mask, it doesn’t work so well). If they both wear masks, then they protect each other and their individual risk of contracting COVID-19 drops dramatically (some estimate to be <7% risk). Also, they then protect all their Looney Tunes friends by limiting the spread of the virus through mask wearing and lead by example. Yes, I just used a detailed cartoon reference to make a medical point by the way…just be thankful it wasn’t a Simpsons reference because then I’d go all Professor Frink on you. So, logically, there is support for the use of masks as it will protect everyone if 80% of the population or more use them.

“If I am farther than six feet away from someone, I don’t have to wear a mask.” Mostly untrue. If you are outside going for a walk or jog and there is someone across the street from you, then it is acceptable to keep your mask down (most streets are around 20 to 28 feet wide). If you are waiting outside in line for the grocery store or inside a building somewhere, it doesn’t matter if you are six feet or more. Let’s use our previous example with Daffy Duck and Sylvester the Cat. If both aren’t wearing masks and standing less than 6 feet apart in a building, they’re going to be soaked with spit. Now, imagine them standing 20 feet away outside without masks. Their spit would never make the distance and their risk of transmitting COVID-19 is very low. Now if both are wearing masks and standing 20 feet away (outside or inside), then the risk of getting COVID-19 from either is improbable. I hope this is starting to make a lot of logical sense to you and driving home the importance of wearing a mask.

So by now, I can’t imagine you have any coherent argument as to why you should not wear a mask other than ignorance or disrespect for your fellow humans. This isn’t about protecting yourself, it is about protecting others. In doing so, you are indirectly reducing your risk of exposure. Please DO NOT say “well Donald Trump and Mike Pence don’t wear one, so why should I?” Like your parent’s used to say “if your friend jumped off of a cliff, would you do it?” No! These are the men saying that we need to stop testing so that the cases will go away (doesn’t quite work that way) and that we could potentially inject a disinfectant or UV light into the body to kill the virus...oh boy… These men are fools (whatever your political leaning) who disregard science and expert opinion, therefore you should not learn from their example. States who have lax mask rules have had surges in cases again leading to a potential outbreak again requiring lockdown in those areas. Places where mask use is strict and common, are seeing rates predicting containment (Massachusetts, New York, etc). No, these surging cases in various states ARE NOT related to the Black Lives Matter protests...it’s from poor mask compliance and premature economic opening.

I beg you all… Share this post with any and every person you know. Inform them about the importance of using masks. Continue to physically distance with masks and encourage its use in others. Yea, it might be annoying or a VERY minor inconvenience, however it can prevent you from spreading it to others who may have a health condition or their loved ones who are high risk. I have gently re-entered the world by dining at a few restaurants which have reopened appropriately during our phases and wearing a mask has not been a nuisance.

This is plain and simple… DON’T BE A FOOL AND JUST WEAR THE DANG MASK! And not just over your mouth, cover everything….

Stay safe and be well!