I’ve heard a lot of anti-maskers use the argument that since we breathe out CO2, it will become trapped in the mask and is dangerous to breathe back in.
Obviously, this isn’t the case, because doctors wear their masks for hours and hours on end while doing surgeries. However, I am wondering, how does it work?
In: Biology
A lot of other comments have mentioned the size of co2 gas molecules so instead, I wanted to point out that that out-of-breath feeling you get when you hold your breath for just a bit too long happens when the accumulation of co2 hits a certain level. (The sensory for this is based on the level of co2, not the lack of oxygen when is why you *don’t* feel out of breath when inhaling helium from a balloon.)
That out-of-breath feeling happens when there’s still sufficient oxygen available for you to remain conscious. It’s a way for your body to signal that you’re heading in the direction of danger but still have quite some time before you get there.
Anyway, you ever felt that out-of-breath feeling while wearing a mask? If yes, you probably shouldn’t be using a SCUBA mask with no air supply while grocery shopping. That, or you should be on oxygen and not out in public.
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