With the decision of Ministry of Health of Spain to make the use of the mask mandatory again in health centers, as expected, the hoaxes about this protective measure have returned. Of course, there are people who claim that it is useless and that it is a way to alienate the population. But then there is the most creative option, that of those who claim that masks cause pneumonia.
They are based on the fact that with the continued use of a mask, bacteria, viruses and fungi which can pass to the lungs and, once there, cause pneumonia. There are even videos of supposed experts explaining how it happens on social networks and WhatsApp chains. Some are real videos in which you can see the bacteria that can proliferate in a mask. But there is something that is not emphasized. These are masks subjected to misuse.
When the population is asked to use the mask, it is assumed that they must use it correctly. For this, millions of information campaigns have been carried out since the beginning of the pandemic. With them, we try to explain what should and should not be done when using them. Now, even so, it should be noted that there is no scientific study or case report that shows that masks cause pneumonia, even with their misuse. It has not been found to have happened to anyone. But, of course, there are many people who have developed pneumonia due to COVID-19 or the flu. You just have to connect the dots.
Why is it false that masks cause pneumonia?
With good use of the masks, the bacteria or viruses that accumulate in them would be our own bacteria and viruses. That is, they would come out of our respiratory tract. We cannot become infected with what we are already infected with. And neither can we cause any infection of our own. microbiota. That is, the microorganisms that live with us cannot cause us any harm if they are harmless. And those that are not, will not cause us diseases that they have not already caused us. For example, if we have COVID-19, we will not get worse for wearing a mask.
Now, all this would be assuming good use and for this to happen, two factors must be taken into account, above all. The first is not to use the masks for longer than recommended. In that case, too much moisture would accumulate in it and this would favor the proliferation of more microorganisms. You should use, at most, what is stipulated by the manufacturer. And, furthermore, if you see very wet or damagedit would have to be discarded first.
Now, during the pandemic almost no one has followed that guideline. And the hospitals have not been filled with cases of bacterial pneumonia. That is one more example that claiming that masks cause pneumonia is quite bold.
The second factor that must be taken into account is hand hygiene and the mask itself. It is advisable to wash your hands before placing it, to prevent microorganisms foreign to our respiratory tract from reaching it. Furthermore, when storing it, you should use a suitable container that does not accumulate moisture, and keep them in the air at home after short use. If they are kept in a pocket or bag directly, they can accumulate a lot of bacteria. But then again, lots of people do that. And that doesn’t mean they develop pneumonia.
What do the experts say?
If it is not true that masks cause pneumonia, why are there videos in which scientists talk about the microorganisms that can proliferate in them?
For this question, which it is logical that we ask ourselves, there are several answers. First of all, many of these videos are taken out of context. That is, these are scientists demonstrating the microorganisms that can proliferate on masks over time, to raise awareness about using them correctly. At no time do they talk about pneumonia due to proper use of masks.
On the other hand, we cannot be sure that these people are scientists. But even if they were, that doesn’t mean we should take everything they say at face value. We would be falling into something known as authority bias, which we have seen a lot during the pandemic. People with scientific careers claiming that vaccines or masks contain graphene and many other claims without scientific evidence.
Scientists also make mistakes or may have interests that lead them to make these claims. What is clear is that we cannot be guided by what someone says, but by what, with a multitude of studies, the scientific community concludes. In the case of masks, the Spanish Society of Pulmonologyfor example, was one of the first to make a statement about its effectiveness. If there really was a risk of pneumonia from its use, they would not have made such a statement.
So, yes, masks are safe. And we would not have had to come to this imposition from the Government if the pandemic had really been of some use and had taught us to use them as they should: when we have symptoms. If people with symptoms do not use them, to protect the vulnerablewe will have to use them all.