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.
There are holes in the mask. You can tell this because they let oxygen in. You put it on and you don’t suffocate. Just as it lets oxygen in, it lets co2 out.
First some simple facts:
* Coronavirus particles are 120 nanometers,
* The pore size in N95 masks is generally 100 nanometers
– so the mask will block coronavirus particles from getting in
* Carbon dioxide is 0.232 nanometers
– so the masks will *not* prevent carbon dioxide from getting out.
So you are not “breathing CO2 into your mask”, the CO2 is expelled easily through the mask into the surrounding air.
**It is that simple.**
How can people be so stupid?
Imagine you have a field, now imagine you place fence posts in a line with 50m spacing between the posts. No fencing, just the posts. If you’re a CO2 molecule, this line of posts isn’t going to stop you crossing to the other side of the field is it? The gaps between them are far too large to impede you. That’s sort of the lunacy of what anti-maskers are suggesting. Relative to the size of the holes in a fabric mesh, CO2 is insignificantly small, but moisture droplets are large enough to be impeded.
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I find Its mostly the warmth and moisture capture from using the mask proporly which makes it uncomfortable.
I work fast food, wear a mask 9 hrs a day. Have asthma, don’t exercise, eat McD 2+ meals a day.
Masks are no problem. Just remember all of your breathing holes need to be covered.
As others have said, the CO2 is small enough to just leave the mask. What you’re actually breathing in is the moisture from your own breath and it is warm because the mask traps some of the heat that you breathe out. While it may feel uncomfortable to breathe in wet, warm air (it certainly does to me), it’s only as dangerous as breathing on a humid day.
An adults lungs are about 6l or ~1.5 gallons in capacity. You mask maybe 100ml in volume. Even if those masks could hold their volume in CO2 then that CO2 would be negligible. When compared to swimming, you may use up-to a 6″ snorkel before “unable to clear exhaust” becomes an issue so that piece of cloth is negligible so far as holding co2 is concerned.
What is significant is resistance, and moisture & dirt.
– Resistance means you must work that much harder to draw air in. Think smothering, think water boarding. Clearly you don’t want a mask who effectively smothers you.
– Moisture & dirt means organisms have a place to live and grow so a mask quickly becomes a source of self infection not only by what you hope to avoid but also by all organisms living in your environment. So keep it washed, keep it clean & dry, and no you don’t want to be sucking on poisonous perfumed soap all day either.
Alot of people, including myself before, wore masks several hours at a time. CO2 just dissipates through the mask.
CO2 itself isn’t dangerous. Our special proteins in our red blood cells preferentially bind oxygen in the air we breathe. If the proportion of oxygen in each breathe is decreased substantially, then it might pose a problem but we breathe in Carbon Dioxide all the time. But oxygen comes with it.
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