Lying and misleading
headlines: "Researchers find face masks don't hinder breathing
during exercise:" Science past and present - and common sense:
Usually
citing one superficial study of just 14 persons and which simply
tested blood and muscle oxygen levels after a short workout, we see
headlines as below:
www.sciencedaily.com
› releases › 2020/11 ...Face
masks don't hinder breathing during exercise, study finds
Nov 5, 2020 — A new study has
found that exercise performance and blood and muscle oxygen levels
are not affected for healthy individuals wearing a face ... The study
evaluated use of a three-layer cloth face mask... involving 14
physically active and healthy men and women..required to do a brief
warm-up on a stationary bike. The exercise test involved a
progressive increase in the intensity on the bike while they
maintained a required pedal rate. Once they could not sustain the
pedal rate the test was over. “Usually a participant reaches
exhaustion on this test in six to twelve minutes depending on their
fitness level,”
--------------------------------------------------------------
However, even if the above is true,
the trumpeted "face masks don`t hinder breathing" headlines
that abound (see further below) are lies at face value, since even a
Kleenex hinders breathing, while otherwise they are misleading, for
even if oxygen levels do not decrease with the use of masks, past
studies find it takes more work for the body to deal with the
impairment of breathing fresh air.
Thus any mask does indeed "hinder" breathing,
especially the breathing of fresh air and oxygen, even if (as the
test at issue claims) not necessarily changing the amount of O2 or
CO2 in the blood during the period of testing.
And, among other issues, N95 masks
are also found to have a detrimental effect on nasal resistance after
removal.
Note that I am not saying that masks
are not effective in reducing viral transmission and the need for
such among the ages and unfit and unhealthy inside, which is common
sense, but I oppose the extremes this has led to, from required
masking whenever outside to even advocating two or three masks.
People should get outside more, and healthy and fit persons should be
able to work and play together (if the get Covid-19, such almost
always recover and then have a lasting
effective immune repose to reinfection), while the lack of fitness
and health (42% Americans obese, 73% overall are overweight, 45% age 18 and older
estimated to have high blood pressure) is actually the real cause
behind so many Covid-assigned deaths (it is not the extra load in a
car that usually causes its failure but it underlying problems).
And which pandemic - and
the extreme response to it - is a judgment upon a nation that has
increasingly forsaken God and hearkened unto lies (see
ARE
YOU
SAVED
OR
LOST?
).
Evaluation
of N95 Respirator Use with a Surgical Mask Cover ...
academic.oup.com › annweh › article by EJ Sinkule ·
2013 · Cited by 47 — breathing resistance, effects from
using N95 respirators, extending N95 ... dizziness, perspiration,
and short-term memory loss have been reported (Sayers et al
The differences
in inhaled gas concentrations in FFR+SM and FFR-only were
significant, especially at lower levels of energy expenditure. The
orientation of the SM on the FFR may have a significant effect on the
inhaled breathing quality and breathing resistance, although the
measurable inhalation and exhalation pressures caused by SM [surgical
mask cover ] over FFR [ N95 filtering facepiece respirators] for
healthcare users probably will be imperceptible at lower activity
levels.
Previous
studies have reported elevated concentrations of inhaled carbon
dioxide (CO2) and decreased concentrations of inhaled oxygen (O2)
associated with wearing FFRs (Sinkule et al., 2003). ..
The increased
inhaled CO2 concentrations and decreased inhaled O2 concentrations
within the breathing zone of negative-pressure air-purifying
respirators, including FFRs, are directly related to dead space.
The effects of
wearing FFRs and other types of respiratory protection have been
widely studied using a variety of measurement methods (Li et al.,
2005; Radonovich et al., 2009; Roberge et al., 2010). Some of these
investigations have been quantitative (e.g., levels of inhaled CO2),
qualitative (e.g., levels of fatigue), or can reflect characteristics
that range from inconvenient (e.g., decreased levels of comfort) to
potentially hazardous (e.g., decreased inhaled levels of O2). The
physiological effects of breathing elevated inhaled CO2 may include
changes in visual performance (Yang et al., 1997), modified exercise
endurance (Raven et al., 1979), headaches and dyspnea (Raven et al.,
1979). The psychological effects include decreased reasoning and
alertness, and increased irritability (Sayers et al., 1987); with CO2
at 7–7.5%, severe dyspnea, headache, dizziness, perspiration,
and short-term memory loss have been reported (Sayers et al., 1987;
Compressed Gas Association, 1999).
Subjects
performing physical activity while breathing decreased O2
concentrations (17%) produced higher levels of lactic acid
accumulation at lower levels of energy expenditure as compared with
normal O2 concentrations (21%), in addition to achieving lower levels
of peak exercise performance (Hogan et al., 1983). Increased
breathing resistance with respirators has been identified as the
cause of respiratory fatigue and impaired physical work capacity, a
shift to anaerobic metabolism from an increased rate of O2 debt; and,
early exhaustion at lighter workloads....
In a field
study, smaller healthcare workers (e.g. women) were more probable to
experience intolerance for wearing FFRs before the end of the shift
(Radonovich et al., 2009)...
. Other NIOSH
research has indicated significant elevated inhaled CO2 associated
with various respirators. Sinkule et al. (2003) ..
Using the same
six levels of energy expenditure as the present investigation, FFRs
(type was not stratified) produced the highest levels of average
inhaled CO2 concentrations and lowest average inhaled O2
concentrations for all levels of energy expenditure as compared with
all other respiratory protective devices examined...
At levels of
energy expenditure of 1.5 l·min−1 or lower, most average
inhaled CO2 concentrations appeared above 2.0% for all FFRs and more
so at the lowest level of energy expenditure (rest). The recognizable
effect of inhaled CO2 is the stimulating action upon respiration,
i.e. respiratory removal of CO2 occurs through the increase in
ventilation rate. Respiratory rate, tidal volume, and alveolar CO2
become elevated with inhaled CO2 concentrations above ambient
(Schneider and Truesdale, 1922; Consolazio et al., 1947; Patterson et
al., 1955). These physiological responses occur to compensate for
abnormal diffusion of CO2 from the blood, due to a decrease in the
ratio of alveolar to capillary CO2 (Schulte, 1964).
In addition to
the increased rate and depth of breathing, cardiac output will
increase to compensate for the additional CO2 (Schulte, 1964). While
inhaling 1–2% CO2 for 17–32min, slight increases have
been reported in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (Schneider
and Truesdale, 1922). Exposures of increased inhaled CO2 between 2
and 3% have been known to produce sweating, headache, and dyspnea for
some subjects at rest after several hours (Schneider and Truesdale,
1922). If inhaled CO2 concentrations are between 4 and 5%, dyspnea
can occur within several minutes and increased blood pressure,
dizziness, and headache can occur within 15–32min (Schneider
and Truesdale, 1922; Patterson et al., 1955; Schulte, 1964).
If inhaled CO2
exposures are at 5%, mental depression may occur within several hours
(Consolazio et al., 1947; Schulte, 1964). As noted in several of
these studies, headaches have been reported at inhaled CO2
concentrations similar to those found in this investigation. This is
consistent with one study which found that 37% of healthcare workers
surveyed reported headaches following FFR use (Lim et al., 2006).
A striking
unanticipated finding among the horizontal flat-fold FFRs was a
reduction in the average inhaled CO2 concentration when an SM was
applied as an additional layer of protection at graphic of 1.0 and
1.5 l·min−1 (Table 3)...
Like the
unanticipated change that occurred among the horizontal flat-fold
FFRs, where a reduction in the average inhaled CO2 concentration was
observed when an SM was applied as an additional layer of protection
at graphic of 1.0 l·min−1 and 1.5 l·min−1,
an increase in the average inhaled O2 concentration also occurred for
this select subset of FFRs....
The average
inhaled CO2 concentrations were lower (P < 0.05) among horizontal
flat-fold FFRs with SM as compared with horizontal flat-fold FFRs
alone at V.O2 of 1.0 l·min−1 and 1.5 l·min−1
[Now note the summary conclusion:]
Results:
Generally, concentrations of average inhaled CO2 decreased and
average inhaled O2 increased with increasing O2 consumption for
FFR+SM and FFR-only. For most work rates, peak inhalation and
exhalation pressures were statistically higher in FFR+SM as compared
with FFR-only. The type of FFR and the presence of exhalation valves
(EVs) had significant effects on average inhaled CO2, average inhaled
O2, and breathing pressures. The evidence suggests that placement of
an SM on one type of FFR improved inhaled breathing gas
concentrations over the FFR without SM; the placement of an SM over
an FFR+EV probably will prevent the EV from opening, regardless of
activity intensity; and, at lower levels of energy expenditure, EVs
in FFR do not open either with or without an SM.
(https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article/57/3/384/230992)
[Basically what this is saying it the
more restrictive masking one wears - and the flatter it is, reducing
dead space, then the less inhaled CO2 [carbon dioxide] occurs and
increasing O2 [oxygen] consumption. This is despite the study showing
that average inhaled CO2 concentrations increased with the use of
FFRs, and common sense tells us that a mask restricts inhalation of
oxygen and increases inhalation of carbon dioxide then. Though a flat
mask would be better than a cup type.
The only way then that concentrations
of average inhaled CO2 can decrease and average inhaled O2increase is
a result of the body working harder, as the study says, "respiratory
removal of CO2 occurs through the increase in ventilation rate...In
addition to the increased rate and depth of breathing, cardiac output
will increase to compensate for the additional CO2 " and with
slight increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures.
And that "At levels of energy
expenditure of 1.5 l·min−1 or lower, most average
inhaled CO2 concentrations appeared above 2.0% for all FFRs and more
so at the lowest level of energy expenditure (rest)... Exposures of
increased inhaled CO2 between 2 and 3% have been known to produce
sweating, headache, and dyspnea for some subjects at rest after
several hours." "one study which found that 37% of
healthcare workers surveyed reported headaches following FFR use."
More trumpeted "face masks don`t
hinder breathing" headlines below, with excerpts of other
research cited in response.
Researchers
find face masks don`t hinder breathing during . .. A new
University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that exercise
performance and blood and muscle oxygen levels are not affected for
healthy individuals wearing a face mask during strenuous workouts...
the study, published Nov. 3 in the research journal International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health...indicate that
people can wear face masks during intense exercise with no
detrimental effects on performance and minimal impact on blood and
muscle oxygenation..
Researchers
find face masks don't hinder breathing during ...
Face
Masks Don't Hinder Breathing During Exercise, USask ... new
University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that exercise
performance and blood and muscle oxygen levels are not affected for
healthy individuals wearing a face mask during strenuous workouts.
Wearing
Face Masks During Exercise Don't Hinder Breathing . ..
There are two
basic principles relevant to respirator use:
Protective
masks and clothing generally shorten the time that a particular
activity level can be sustained...
1. Work cannot
usually be performed as long or as hard while wearing a respirator
compared to when respirators are not worn. Wearing protective
clothing plus respirators makes this situation even worse. Either
more time must be allowed for a particular task or more workers must
be assigned to the same task.
There is a
great deal of wearer variability. Some wearers can tolerate
respirator high inspiratory or expiratory resistance or pressure
levels, while others cannot. Some wearers are much more anxious about
wearing respirators than others. Some wearers can tolerate hot, humid
conditions inside respirators, whereas others cannot. Because of this
variability, each wearer must be treated as an individual...
Buffering the
blood against lactic acid formation during anaerobic respiration
produces extra carbon dioxide that can be exhaled. This extra carbon
dioxide acts as a respiratory stimulant that leads to
hyperventilation, or harder and deeper breathing.
All these
processes proceed each time a person moves actively. They are much
more efficient for younger people than for older people. Maximum
oxygen uptake for 20 year olds is about 2.5 l per minute, but
declines nearly linearly to about 1.7 l per minute at age 65 [17].
Well-trained individuals can have maximum oxygen uptakes up to twice
these values. In addition, the maximum oxygen debt that can be
incurred by an individual declines with age and is also affected by
training [12].
Metabolic
responses during exercise, and especially during emergencies, are
modified by the release of the adrenal hormones adrenalin
(epinephrine) and cortisol. These hormones increase metabolic rate,
increase the rate and force of heart contractions, enhance the
availability of blood glucose, reroute blood from the gut to the
muscles, and mobilize the nervous system. The combined actions of
these hormones can affect physical, emotional, and cognitive
functions.
Muscular
strength declines with age, making task performance less efficient
when more muscles must be recruited to perform a task. Muscular power
can be restored relatively rapidly with strength training. Drugs and
medicines can also affect body metabolism, as can illness. Products
of cigarette smoking and caffeine also affect metabolic rate [65]...
Inhaled air is
oxygen rich and carbon dioxide poor. Exhaled air is oxygen poor and
carbon dioxide rich. Because air flow in the airways is
bidirectional, the first air that reaches the alveoli is the same as
the last air that was exhaled during the previous exhalation. This is
an indication of the dead volume of the lung, or that volume that
stores carbon dioxide from the previous breath. Dead volume for
average adults is about 180 ml, but dead volume of respirators can
add to the effective dead volume of the respiratory system and affect
performance [52].
Inhaled air is
oxygen rich and carbon dioxide poor. Exhaled air is oxygen poor and
carbon dioxide rich. Because air flow in the airways is
bidirectional, the first air that reaches the alveoli is the same as
the last air that was exhaled during the previous exhalation. This is
an indication of the dead volume of the lung, or that volume that
stores carbon dioxide from the previous breath. Dead volume for
average adults is about 180 ml, but dead volume of respirators can
add to the effective dead volume of the respiratory system and affect
performance [52].
Carbon dioxide
is a very powerful respiratory stimulant. Increasing the
concentration of inhaled carbon dioxide increases lung ventilation
much more than does oxygen deficiency. Metabolically-produced carbon
dioxide is even more effective than inhaled carbon dioxide at
stimulating respiration. This is critical for additions of external
dead volume, which transforms exhaled metabolic carbon dioxide into
carbon dioxide inhaled during the next breath. Once the anaerobic
threshold is reached, blood buffering makes it appear that metabolic
carbon dioxide increases, and respiration is stimulated so much that
lung ventilation increases dramatically as work rate intensifies...
(Fig. 3).
Respiration
does not usually limit work performances of healthy individuals, but
respiration can limit work time when respirators are worn [44, 51].
The most important function of the respiratory system is the removal
of carbon dioxide from the body. Adjustments during exercise increase
depth and rate of breathing in order to expel this gaseous
end-product of aerobic metabolism. Exercise exhalation becomes
actively supported by the abdominal muscles, spewing carbon dioxide
at faster rates as exercise intensifies. At some point, the rate at
which air can be exhaled becomes limited by the distensible airways
in the respiratory system. Any further increase in abdominal pressure
cannot increase expiratory flow rate.
Thus, for
normal individuals, there is a limitation when exhalation time
decreases to one-half second or so [22, 24]. Carbon dioxide cannot be
expelled any faster than this minimum exhalation time allows.
Additionally, some people suffer from respiratory impairments that
limit maximum pressures that can be generated by the respiratory
muscles when they breathe through external resistances or against
external pressures [59]. Respiratory-limited work usually lasts 5–20
min.
Respirator
effects...
Extra
inspiratory resistance [38] promotes hypoventilation [2–4, 6,
16, 39, 50, 60] of the wearer (lower volumes of air breathed and
smaller amounts of oxygen used). This can result in an earlier
transition from aerobic (using oxygen) to anaerobic (no oxygen
needed) respiration [10, 32], and faster progress toward the maximum
tolerance for exercise (maximum oxygen debt).
Facepiece dead
volume accumulates exhaled carbon dioxide in the voids between the
respirator and the face and returns it to the respiratory system
during the next inspiration. This carbon dioxide then acts as a
respiratory stimulant. Because carbon dioxide is a psychoactive gas,
dead volume may also produce discomfort and a performance decrement
at low-intensity work. A typical value for full-facepiece APR
[Air-purifying respirators] respirator dead volume is 350 mL. Such a
dead volume is expected to reduce performance time by 19 % at a work
rate of 80 to 85 % of maximum oxygen uptake [52].
Intense
exercise above the anaerobic threshold uses more air than does
moderate exercise, and because very intense exercise metabolism has a
higher anaerobic component than does moderate exercise, the air that
is used is not consumed as efficiently as it is at lower intensity
[43]. The net result is that SCBA tank air depletes much more rapidly
at high work rates than at moderate work rates...
Use of
respirators in hot conditions leads to several difficulties.
Discomfort has been related to facial temperatures inside the
facepiece. Facial skin temperatures are more important for comfort
than skin temperatures in other parts of the body...
There can be a
considerable amount of discomfort associated with wearing
respirators, gloves, boots, and protective suits. Those individuals
prone to anxious feelings may have their anxieties made worse during
periods of inactivity. Anxieties are the most important threat to
protective equipment wear, and extremely anxious people should not be
asked to wear respirators, if possible.
Studies have
shown that anxiety level is a very reliable indicator of difficulty
encountered while wearing a respirator. Extremely anxious individuals
do not perform for as long or at the same work rate as low-anxiety
wearers [28, 61].
For those who
can tolerate the discomfort and claustrophobic feelings when wearing
respirators, there will nonetheless be physical effects of prolonged
wear [54, 57]...
Physiological
limits to long term exercise deal with limitations on blood glucose
levels and muscle glycogen stores. Dehydration or electrolyte
depletion may occur [17]. These are difficult to quantify for any
individual, but frequent eating and drinking can deter them from
happening [30]. Psychological effects are also important. Feelings of
fatigue are common, as are feelings of anxiety and discontent [54,
57]...
Rest times are
also dependent on the intensity of the task and the maximum oxygen
uptake of the individual [17]. In general, the more intense the work,
the longer will be the recovery time, but the relationship is
nonlinear. A task that can be performed for an hour requires at least
a 10 min rest period. More intense tasks (with shorter performance
times) require longer rest times.
Face
Masks Do Not Impair Breathing for People with COPD ...
Paul Chinn/The
Chronicle.. People with breathing problems (ironically) are
discouraged from wearing a mask without getting a doctor's
recommendation. In one statement, CA Dept. of Public Health writes,
"Wearing a mask may actually be harmful to some people with
heart or lung disease because it can make the lungs work harder to
breathe." A doctor will look at the patient's condition, ability
to draw in air, and guide them on how to make it fit right if
recommended.
Small children
should not wear masks. California's Dept. of Public Health points
out, "Children should not wear these masks – they do not
fit properly and can impede breathing. If the air quality is poor
enough that a child requires a mask, the child should remain indoors,
in a safe place, and evacuation should be considered."
Recordings of
429 infants were included (median (IQR) gestational age of 28+6
(27+1-30+4) weeks). In 368/429 (86%) infants breathing was observed
before application of the face mask and 197/368 (54%) of these
infants stopped breathing following application of the face mask.
Apnoea occurred at a median of 5 (3–17) seconds after
application of the face mask with a duration of 28 (22–34)
seconds of the first minute. In a logistic regression model, the
occurrence of apnoea after face mask application was inversely
associated with gestational age (OR = 1.424
(1.281–1.583), p < 0.001). Infants who stopped
breathing had a significantly lower heart rate 82 (66–123) vs
134 (97–151) bpm, p < 0.001) and oxygen
saturation (49% (33–59) vs 66% (50–82), p < 0.001)
over the first minute after face mask application, compared to
infants who continued breathing.
Wearing
Face Masks During Exercise Won't Hinder Breathing ... The
Saskatchewan
study , published Nov. 3, 2020, in the research journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
evaluated the use of a three-layer cloth mask.
Despite the
protective function, the effects of mask wearing on respiratory
microclimate, respiratory functions and individual sensations are
important as well. It was reported that facemask caused less
subjective discomfort feeling, lower perception of humidity, heat and
breathe resistance than N95 respirator. 10 Wearing masks could affect
the wearer’s whole body thermal sensation. 11
Long- duration
wearing of N95 respirator may induce physiological stress on the
wearer, making regular tasks more challenging, and causes headaches
among healthcare providers. 12 These effects might be due to the
respiratory microclimate change surrounding the masks. For example,
wearing surgical facemask and N95 respirator was found to induce
different temperatures and humidification on outer and inner mask
surfaces 10. These differences are attributed to different material
properties of the masks, such as lower air permeability and water
vapor permeability in N95 respirator. 13 While the N95 respirator
would physically increase the nasal resistance more than 100%
compared to the condition without respirator, 14 the presence of
exhaled moisture or concurrent wearing of surgical facemask has
limited effect on breathing resistance.... 15,16
Conclusion In
conclusion, there is an increase of nasal resistance upon removal of
N95 respirator and surgical facemask after 3hours wearing which
potentially due to nasal physiological changes, instead of the size
of nasal airways. The nasal resistance was not recovered even after
1.5hours removal of respirator/facemask. In addition, the N95
respirator caused higher post-wearing nasal resistance than surgical
facemask with different recovery routines.
Working
Out With a Face Mask Doesn't Hinder Breathing ...Researchers
measured oxygen levels in the blood and muscles of 14 physically
active and healthy participants during an aerobic fitness test...The
data showed no evidence that breathing was hindered during the
workout.
Face
Masks Don't Inhibit Breathing or Performance During ...
Our study
revealed a decrease in the oxygen saturation of arterial pulsations
(SpO2) and a slight increase in pulse rates compared to preoperative
values in all surgeon groups. The decrease was more prominent in the
surgeons aged over 35.. Considering our findings, pulse rates of the
surgeon's increase and SpO2 decrease after the first hour. This early
change in SpO2 may be either due to the facial mask or the
operational stress. Since a very small decrease in saturation at this
level, reflects a large decrease in PaO2, our findings may have a
clinical value for the health workers and the surgeons.