Homemade masks: Protective or propaganda

When the coronavirus was first hitting the national headlines, an interesting discussion transpired between some of my friends in the medical field. One physician claimed we all needed to wear facial masks to prevent against the transmission of the coronavirus. Another medical professional chimed in and said if coronavirus was transmitted in the same fashion as the flu, face masks were not beneficial and may even cause an increase in virus transmission according to research studies. This intrigued me. A mask could actually increase the transmission of a virus? Wow. We should take note of this! But no one has.

Instead, from coast to coast, governments are requiring their citizens to wear masks any time they leave home. But what if these masks are making people sick? What if these masks are doing more harm than good? Unfortunately, it seems few are asking these questions.

Since no current research data regarding covid-19 and wearing face masks exists, I have researched influenza and the wearing of face masks. (For the most part, the flu and covid-19 are very similarly transmitted via air droplets and direct contact. Both the flu and covid-19 produce large and small air droplets. Studies suggest the small air droplets in both the flu and covid-19 are the most infectious. The flu virus is 8.8 times more numerous in exhaled small droplet particles than in large droplet particles.)

According to a March 2013 study by PLOS Pathogen, volunteers with the flu were recorded while wearing a mask and while not wearing a mask. The researchers found 92% of the participants exhaled small influenza-containing particles while not wearing a mask compared to 78% while wearing a mask. After reading this data, one could be thinking, "Yes! Face masks prevent virus transmission by decreasing the number of small virus particles by 14%." But, wait. The study concludes more research is needed on how the flu is spread and how to prevent transmission to know if face masks are of any value.

Moreover, this study was done using properly fitted surgical masks. The masks we are to wear are homemade masks. How do homemade masks compare to surgical masks?

In an August 2013 Disaster Med Public Health article entitled, Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: would they protect in an influenza pandemic?, researchers studied how effective homemade masks were. They found surgical masks were 3 times more protective at preventing virus transmission than homemade masks. Additionally, fifty percent of homemade masks did not fit properly, which rendered the masks ineffective.

If we reflect back to the first study, which used surgical masks, there was a 14% reduction in small flu virus particles for people wearing a mask. If we divide the 14% reduction by 3 (since the surgical masks were found to be three times more effective than homemade masks), we get roughly a 5% decrease in small virus particles (and that is only if the homemade mask was properly fitted). Moreover, additional research showed the masks did NOT prevent a person from getting the flu.

At best, homemade masks helped decrease flu particles by about 5%, which means 95% of flu particles still escaped from an infected person. These flu particles passed easily through the homemade mask and did not protect the healthy person wearing the mask from infection.

So now folks may be saying, "Yes, by a 5% decrease is still a 5% decrease." Again, I say not so fast.

These research studies lasted only a few minutes. They did not track a person who was wearing a mask in his/her daily life.

When wearing a mask for an extended amount of time, a person's habits change. A mask causes irritation to the skin. A person will scratch his face more, spreading virus contamination from one's hands to his nose, mouth and/or eyes. The mask rubs the skin and causes skin breakdown. This allows for virus particles to freely enter the bloodstream. Having a mask over one's face causes an increase in carbon dioxide in the inhaled air. Those with weak respiratory muscles such as children, the elderly and folks with chronic respiratory conditions can develop high carbon dioxide levels. This can cause many health complications including death.

When wearing a mask, if a person has to cough, sneeze or blow his nose, most people take off the mask. Since one's hands are occupied with the mask, sneezing or coughing is often done without covering one's mouth. Now the virus particles are in the air and free to contaminate other surfaces.

Additionally, now that we are headed into the warm summer months, masks block one way we cool off, by allowing us to blow out hot air and breathing in cool air. Masks prevent this heat exchange. Wearing masks increases the risk of heat exhaustion.

Lastly, wearing a mask causes an increased false sense of safety. Folks who wear masks were less likely to wash their hands, less likely to cover their mouth when coughing/sneezing, less likely to take extra precautions when around sick individuals, etc. Due to this false sense of security, the rate of virus transmission actually INCREASED in folks wearing masks when in public versus people who did not.

In short, although homemade masks (if fitted properly) may decrease 5% of an infected individual's small virus air droplets, it did not protect against a healthy person acquiring the virus. Moreover, when a mask is worn, health complications such as heat exhaustion, high carbon dioxide levels and skin breakdown may occur. Wearing masks also makes people more complacent about maintaining good hand hygiene and taking extra care when around those who have symptoms of illness, which actually leads to an increase in virus transmission.

So wear a mask or don't wear a mask. The choice is yours. Whatever you do, use care. If you are sick, stay away from other people; a mask will not protect you from spreading virus particles.