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| Wearing a mask while exercising may feel uncomfortable, but research shows doing so does not impair lung function. Photo credit: Getty Images |
More evidence, if any were needed, that, contrary to the lies of President-reject-supporting evangelical Christians, wearing a face-mask does not impair airflow or exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, even during physical activity.
This is the conclusion from a meta-analysis of all known scientific literature that "examined the effects of various face masks and respiratory loading devices on physiological and perceptual responses to physical activity" by an American and Canadian team led by Susan Hopkins of the University College of San Diego, USA. The single exception was someone with severe cardiopulmonary disease for whom a minor change in resistance to breathing or a slight change in blood gasses could precipitate dyspnoea. However, these people are also at high risk from Covid-19 - an important factor when deciding whether to wear a face-mask or not.
The results of this analysis were published two days ago in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
From the UCSD press release:
The researchers came to their conclusions following a review of all known scientific literature published that examined the effects of various face masks and respiratory loading devices on physiological and perceptual responses to physical activity. These studies assessed multiple factors, such as work of breathing (the quantified energy expended to inhale and exhale), arterial blood gases, effects on muscle blood flow and fatigue, cardiac function and flow of blood to the brain.
For healthy persons, the effects of wearing a mask on these physiological markers were minimal, no matter what type of mask was worn or the degree of exercise. The authors also said age played no significant influencing role among adults. Gender differences were deemed inconsequential.
“Wearing a face mask can be uncomfortable,” said Hopkins. “There can be tiny increases in breathing resistance. You may re-inhale warmer, slightly enriched CO2 air. And if you’re exercising, the mask can cause your face to become hot and sweaty.
“But these are sensory perceptions. They do not impact cardiopulmonary function in healthy people. So while dyspnea might be increased with a mask, you have to weigh that against the reduced risk of contracting COVID-19, knowing that the physiology is essentially unchanged.”
So, apart from the entirely selfish motive of not wanting to be slightly inconvenienced, or the fear of being seen to be making an anti-Trump political statement, there can be no logical excuse for covidiots not putting the welfare of others first and wearing a face-mask. The fact that many White Christian evangelicals still refuse to do so, usually while pretending to be 'pro-life', i.e., anti-abortion, when it comes to women's reproductive rights, simply illustrates their selfish indifference to the welfare of others - a characteristic that has already been revealed in surveys - and the hypocrisy and ulterior motive in their opposition to the basic human right to termination services for women.
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