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
You might have a slightly higher CO2 level in that air you breathe in from your mask, but it barely makes a difference. CO2 is diffused out of the blood in the lungs. Normally, you exhale air with about 4% CO2, and inhale air with about 0.04% CO2. Most masks allow CO2 to diffuse out easily, but there’ll still be some of your breath stuck between the mask and your lungs.
Your body will barely notice the difference. Remember, you already have a fair chunk of “stale” air that doesn’t get cycled with each breath. The lungs do not fully deflate, some air remains behind. And your windpipe also keeps some air in there. The added bit of air the mask traps isn’t an issue, there is still plenty of ventilation.
The only time it might become an issue is if you are breathing rapidly after exercising, or if you hyperventilate for some reason. In those cases, take off the mask and just keep your distance from people.
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