There has been a shifting of positions on the use of face masks with the COVID-19 outbreak. Is there sound medical or scientific basis for the recommendations? Is much of it simply virtue signaling? Is there a legitimate rationale to do it to protect the vulnerable? And if so, at what cost to the rest of society? There are many important considerations including the risk versus the reward.
The Risks vs. Benefits of Face Masks- Is There an Agenda? by Dr. Alan Palmer on Children’s Health Defense
While the COVID-19 crisis rages on, the science against and in support of wearing masks accumulates daily. On the one side, proponents argue that masks save lives and stop the spread of the virus. The other side contends that wearing masks is complicated and suggests masks are ineffective and may even be harmful.

The Science of Masks
I have copied the list below from the above article by Children’s Health Defense’s lists of scientific research papers describing various aspects of the use of masks. In many circumstances for most mask types their prolonged use has more negative effects than positive.
- On Masks and COVID-19 by Arthur Firstenberg
- Masks Don’t Work: A Review of Science Relevant to COVID-19 Social Policy by Denis G. Rancourt, PhD
- Still No Evidence Justifying Mandatory Masks by Todd McGreevy
- Masks Masquerading as Science by Kevin McKernan
- Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How by Or Fleisher, Gabriel Gianordoli, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Karthik Patanjali, Miles Peyton and Bedel Sage
- Of masks and men: no clear evidence masks are effective in COVID-19
- Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era
- These 12 Graphs Show Mask Mandates Do Nothing To Stop COVID
- Medical Masks
- Face Masks Pose Serious Risks To The Healthy by Russell Blaylock, MD
- The Risks vs. Benefits of Face Masks- Is There an Agenda? by Alan Palmer, MD
- 5 Questions: Stanford scientists on COVID-19 mask guidelines
- Maine’s Rise in COVID-19 Cases Linked to Face Masks
- Podcast: Pulmonary Specialist Speaks Out On The Health Risks Of Wearing Masks & The Lies Surrounding COVID-19
- Reusing masks may increase your risk of coronavirus infection
- Surgeon General Doubles Down: Masks Increase Virus Risk
- Public Health Experts Keep Changing Their Guidance on Whether or Not to Wear Face Masks for Coronavirus
Reports
- COVID-19 & Public Health Totalitarianism: Untoward Effects on Individuals, Institutions and Society (Chapter XI is Mask Chapter) by Peter R. Breggin, MD
- WHO Emergencies Press Conference on coronavirus disease (at 00:22:39)
Adverse Health Effects
- Effect of a surgical mask on six minute walking distance
- “Exercise with facemask; Are we handling a devil’s sword?” – A physiological hypothesis
- The physiological impact of wearing an N95 mask during hemodialysis as a precaution against SARS in patients with end-stage renal disease
- Respiratory consequences of N95-type Mask usage in pregnant healthcare workers-a controlled clinical study
- Contamination by respiratory viruses on outer surface of medical masks used by hospital healthcare workers
- Masks, false safety and real dangers, Part 1: Friable mask particulate and lung vulnerability
- Masks, false safety and real dangers, Part 2: Microbial challenges from masks
- Optical microscopic study of surface morphology and filtering efficiency of face masks
- Use of surgical face masks to reduce the incidence of the common cold among health care workers in Japan: a randomized controlled trial
- Don’t Use N95 Masks for More Than 2 Days, Research Suggests
- Investigation of adverse reactions in healthcare personnel working in Level 3 barrier protection PPE to treat COVID-19
- Effects of long-duration wearing of N95 respirator and surgical facemask: a pilot study
- Video: Pulmonary Specialist Speaks Out On The Health Risks Of Wearing Masks & The Lies Surrounding COVID-19
- Impact of respiratory protective devices on respiration: Implications for panic vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic
- PSmicrographs: One day old surgical face mask
- Risks associated with the use of a mouth-nose-cover (MNC) in children and adolescents
- Exercise with facemask: Are we handling a devil’s sword?” – a physiological hypothesis
- Effects of long-duration wearing of N95 respirator and surgical facemask: a pilot study
- Video: Wearing a mask is hazardous to your health
- Chronic hypoxia-hypercapnia influences cognitive function: a possible new model of cognitive dysfunction in COPD
- Effects of surgical and FFP2/N95 face masks on cardiopulmonary exercise capacity
- Adverse Effects of Prolonged Mask Use among Healthcare Professionals during COVID-19
- Preliminary report on surgical mask induced deoxygenation during major surgery
Cloth Masks
- A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers
- Video: Cloth Masks & COVID-19: Is Two-Layered Cotton Effective in Preventing Spread of Aerosolized Droplets from One Person to Another? By Mayo Clinic Proceedings Featuring Catherine Clase
- Rapid Expert Consultation on the Effectiveness of Fabric Masks for the COVID-19 Pandemic (Chapter 6)
- Simple Respiratory Protection—Evaluation of the Filtration Performance of Cloth Masks and Common Fabric Materials Against 20–1000 nm Size Particles
- Video: COVID-19 Homemade Masks: Are Fabric Masks Just as Effective as Surgical Masks? What Is the Performance of Fabrics Against Spread of Respiratory Infection Through Droplets? By Taher Saif
- Evaluating the efficacy of cloth facemasks in reducing particulate matter exposure
N95 Masks
- Don’t Use N95 Masks for More Than 2 Days, Research Suggests
- Effectiveness of N95 respirators versus surgical masks against influenza: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Effectiveness of N95 respirators versus surgical masks in protecting health care workers from acute respiratory infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- N95 Respirators vs Medical Masks for Preventing Influenza Among Health Care Personnel
- The physiological impact of wearing an N95 mask during hemodialysis as a precaution against SARS in patients with end-stage renal disease
- Respiratory consequences of N95-type Mask usage in pregnant healthcare workers-a controlled clinical study
- Video: Infection Control for COVID-19: Can Masks and Other PPE be Multi-Use? How Do Surgical Masks Compare to N95 Respirators? By Stanford Medicine, Featuring Gloria Hwang
- Effects of long-duration wearing of N95 respirator and surgical facemask: a pilot study
- Do N95 respirators provide 95% protection level against airborne viruses, and how adequate are surgical masks?
- Effectiveness of Masks and Respirators Against Respiratory Infections in Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Masks for Prevention of Respiratory Virus Infections, Including SARS-CoV-2, in Health Care and Community Settings
- Effects of long-duration wearing of N95 respirator and surgical facemask: a pilot study
Masks in Surgical Settings
- Is a mask necessary in the operating theatre?
- Postoperative wound infections and surgical face masks: A controlled study
- Surgical face masks in modern operating rooms—a costly and unnecessary ritual?
- The evolution of the surgical mask: filtering efficiency versus effectiveness
- Disposable surgical face masks for preventing surgical wound infection in clean surgery
- Preliminary report on surgical mask induced deoxygenation during major surgery
Other Mask Studies
- Comprehensive review of mask utility and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic
- A rapid systematic review of the efficacy of face masks and respirators against coronaviruses and other respiratory transmissible viruses for the community, healthcare workers and sick patients
- Effectiveness of masks and respirators against respiratory infections in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Efficacy of face mask in preventing respiratory virus transmission: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- To mask or not to mask: Modeling the potential for face mask use by the general public to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic
- Could masks curtail the post-lockdown resurgence of COVID-19 in the US?
- Comparison of Filtration Efficiency and Pressure Drop in Anti-Yellow Sand Masks, Quarantine Masks, Medical Masks, General Masks, and Handkerchiefs
- Comparison of the Filter Efficiency of Medical Nonwoven Fabrics against Three Different Microbe Aerosols
- Efficacy of masks and face coverings in controlling outward aerosol particle emission from expiratory activities
- Face masks to prevent transmission of influenza virus: A systematic review
- Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review
- Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data
- Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures
- Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Part 1 – Face masks, eye protection and person distancing: systematic review and meta-analysis
- The use of masks and respirators to prevent transmission of influenza: a systematic review of the scientific evidence
- Non-pharmaceutical public health measures for mitigating the risk and impact of epidemic and pandemic influenza
- Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers
- SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Marine Recruits during Quarantine
- A Model to Explain Statewide Differences in COVID-19 Death Rates
- Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks
- Universal Masking in Hospitals in the COVID-19 Era
- Facemasks and similar barriers to prevent respiratory illness such as COVID-19: A rapid systematic review
- A reality check on the use of face masks during the COVID 19 outbreak in Hong Kong
- A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019
- Masks for Prevention of Respiratory Virus Infections, Including SARS-CoV-2, in Health Care and Community Settings
- Do Facemasks protect against COVID-19
- Use of surgical face masks to reduce the incidence of the common cold among health care workers in Japan: A randomized controlled trial
Videos
- Video: Del Bigtree shows dangerous CO2 levels breathing with masks
- Video: Mask Facts
- Video: Pulmonary Specialist Speaks Out On The Health Risks Of Wearing Masks & The Lies Surrounding COVID-19
- Video: Study Finds ’Specific & Significant Risk’ Of AD … actions After COVID Vaccine & FBI’s Qanon Psyop
(Videos below are found on Vumedi.com. They are free to watch but you must sign up.)
- Video: COVID-19 & Mask Myths Debunked: Can N95’s, Surgical and Cloth Masks May Be Dangerous & Are They Effective at Protecting Against the Spread of the Virus? By Richard Oehler
- Video: COVID-19 Facemasks: What is the Difference Between Cloth and Surgical Masks? What Types of Respirators Are There? Are There Any Drawbacks of Alternative Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)? By Kyle Wu
- Video: Face Masks & COVID-19: Does Your Face Mask Protect You or Other People? By Monica Gandhi
- Video: How Well Do Face Masks Protect us from COVID-19 Infection? By How Much Is the Risk Reduced if Only One Person Is Wearing a Mask? By Julian W. Tang
- Video: Infection Control for COVID-19: Can Masks and Other PPE be Multi-Use? How Do Surgical Masks Compare to N95 Respirators? By Stanford Medicine, Featuring Gloria Hwang
- Video: Masks Use During the New Phase of the Pandemic: How Common Is Asymptomatic Infection and How Transmissible is SARS-CoV-2 Infection from Someone Who Has No Symptoms? By UCSF School of Medicine Featuring George Rutherford
The Aftermath
- India: Discarded surgical masks are adding to bio-hazard around Goa
- New Zealand: Face masks add to pollution woes
- Switzerland: Hundreds of face masks fished out of Lake Geneva
- North Carolina, USA: No shortage of masks, gloves littering area parking lots, roadsides
- Canada: Face Masks: A Danger to Our Planet, Our Children & Ourselves