When You Wear A Face Mask Every Day, This Is What Happens to Your Lungs

Some people are not very happy about the mandatory mask policy that’s happening in most cities. We can understand why people would opt out of wearing a face mask. It’s not necessarily the most appealing accessory to rock, especially with all the pollen, sweat, and makeup that can cling to masks.

But it seems that the real information on masks is being overshadowed by weird memes and fake medical claims made by the media (since when are tabloid writers informed medical professionals?) it seems that we have to make our voices heard to straighten out some information, because people are believing some really bizarre things.

A small action to prevent a larger disaster

In this hot and humid weather, just wearing normal clothes can feel like a burden. Add a snug layer of fabric to your face, and it’s a recipe for discomfort. Many have been complaining about mask acne or “maskne” while others are upset that the backs of their ears get irritated and sensitive.

However, while all these things seem like annoying inconveniences, it’s nothing when compared to what could happen after getting infected with COVID-19. Wearing a mask or face covering is meant to reduce potentially infectious respiratory droplets from exhaled breath of the person wearing the mask.

That being said, there are some myths out there that wearing face masks causes damage to our lungs and overall health. This is a perfect example of fake news, and there’s no truth to this, so if you were considering joining on of the ridiculous mask-protesting brigades, keep that in mind.

They don’t harm your lungs

First off, wearing face masks daily does not cause carbon dioxide poisoning and it does not hurt your lungs in any way.

It also won’t reduce oxygen intake levels and deprive tissues of air, which is a condition called hypoxia.

If you have any doubt on this, you can check out snopes.com, a reputable fact-checking site which has debunked many theories on what happens to your lungs when wearing a mask for extended period of time. The logic is that if the mask isn’t air tight, and if you’re not breathing in recycled air, you will be fine.

One guest post on Forbes, a cancer research scientist confirms that this is impossible, because carbon dioxide molecules are “simply too small to be controlled by the majority of mask materials and simply pas right through.”

In an example, the author talked about surgeons, who wear masks for hours with normal CO2 levels throughout surgeries without being effected. Apparently, exogenous and other gaseous molecules are even smaller than the tiny coronavirus particles.