In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, confusion surrounded many medical issues related to a scary, novel disease. Travel restraints, quarantines, mortality rates, treatment modalities, and a vortex of complex issues confronted an anxious American public told ubiquitous masks were a necessary prophylactic pending the arrival of a vaunted new vaccine to rescue humanity.
Children were force-masked in schools. Unmasked citizens were shamed in retail stores, legislators called for criminal sanctions for the noncompliant, and claims that masking caused harm or was ineffective were viciously attacked as misinformation. A recent South Korean study reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), however, concluded that masking can indeed cause harm, especially for children.
In “Measuring the quantity of harmful volatile organic compounds inhaled through masks,” NIH posited what many concerned parents had wondered about in 2020:
“If harmful chemicals are released from these masks, there may be harmful effects on human health. In this study, the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from some commonly used masks was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively under diverse conditions … As masks are worn close to the face, temperature may increase beyond the ambient temperature due to body heat. … When the temperature of the mask rises, the types and concentrations of the VOCs emitted from the mask can rise with it.”
Free Speech to Question Masks
Any drywaller or mason knows that the masks worn to prevent viral spread are insufficient to block visible particulate matter such as drywall dust or masonry cement, creating a false sense of security that would cause even greater disease spread. Yet government spokesmen and the medical community insisted that face diapers would block viruses that are infinitesimal in size compared to dust, and the drywallers, and masons, and other folk who knew better were not permitted alternative opinions on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media. Sensible voices claimed masks could cause respiratory or other illnesses, increase carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels, or inhibit herd immunity and natural immune system development in children. Their voices too were silenced: Their simple scientific observations were verboten.
The recent study is remarkable not because it challenges official nonsense scientifically (like real science!) but in that it breaks from the political tyranny that Fauci & Co inflicted on Americans. Is the NIH uncaptured by the cultish fear ladled out so copiously by Joe Biden and others? How did the federal government’s lock-stepping lies get challenged by another agency – didn’t NIH get the memo? Likely, it was impossible to simply ignore the South Korean study that should have been undertaken in America.
Seeking Credible Science
The US government has seen its credibility fall like the biblical Tower of Babel. The more “real science” intrudes into unscientific political narratives, the more government agencies will lose credibility. This extends to bunk science about climate change, gender identity and hormone blockers for children, and even statistical abuses in critical race “theory” that labels all white people as criminals and all black people as victims. These and more display grotesque departures from traditional scientific and statistical inquiry to foster a hideous cult of hate and falsehood.
The NIH presents a credible study openly affirming what private citizens and physicians were banned, or even attacked, for suggesting two years ago:
“Now that masks are all but required, the harmful chemicals that can be released from them must be evaluated. … This study demonstrated that disposable masks (KF94) released higher concentrations of TVOCs in comparison to cotton masks … It is clear that particular attention must be paid to the VOCs associated with the use of KF94 masks their effects on human health. Based on our findings, we suggest that prior to wearing a KF94 mask, each product should be opened and not worn for at least 30 min, thereby reducing TVOC concentrations to levels that will not impair human health.”
How comforting – let the chemical-infused masks air out a tad before wrapping your toddler’s face. Yet the Korean study “found that disposable masks, including medical-grade N95 masks, released eight times the recommended safety limit for toxic volatile organic compounds (TVOCs).” Maybe an hour would be a better air-out, especially for vulnerable children.
John Klar is an Attorney, farmer, and author. Mostly farmer… And Regular Contributor to GraniteGrok and VermontGrok.