not buying that masks are totally ineffective. worked a stint at a distribution center with rubber conveyor belts running constantly. did not wear a mask at first but had to blow black out of the nose after the shifts. started wearing an n95 mask. At the end of the shift it was grey to black on the outside and still white on the inside. there were also no longer the black trails of accumulated dirt around the nostrils from breathing it in for hours. the masks prevent most of particulate matter from entering your beathing.
Seen people at the store have a big sneeze before in the right lighting and you could see a cloud of mist around them during the sneeze. The masks would be effective in keeping most of that particulate matter out of your lungs. Maybe the masks do not prevent some very small particles from getting through but they do prevent most of the dust and debris in the air from entering your respiratory system.
but everyone can make their own decisions. No one else at the warehouse wore a mask and they would be over the sinks blowing the black out of their noses after the shift. to each their own.
The argument isn't that masks do nothing, of any kind, ever, under any circumstances.
That isn't the claim.
Various kinds of cheap masks are effective at stopping various kinds of things.... just not the spread of airborne virus.
The claim against mask use is very specific:
MASKS DO NOT PREVENT TRANSMISSION OF AIRBORNE VIRUSES.
Many governments claimed masks DO prevent transmission of airborne viruses... but the scientific evidence, which is a very large body of data, shows the opposite.
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Current Scientific Data On Mask Use:
The Cochrane Study, the largest to date on the efficacy of masks to stop airborne viral transmission, was a massive study that collated 78 clinical trials, across multiple countries, with 610,872 participants.
It concluded that masks do nothing to stop transmission of airborne virus.
Excerpts:
Regarding surgical masks:
"The pooled results of RCTs (random clinical trials) did not show a clear reduction in respiratory viral infection with the use of medical/surgical masks. "
- No evidence they do anything whatsoever - in stopping the spread of airborne virus.
Regarding N95 masks:
"There were no clear differences between the use of medical/surgical masks compared with N95/P2 respirators in healthcare workers when used in routine care to reduce respiratory viral infection."
- The N95 mask is equally ineffective as a surgical mask - in stopping the spread of airborne virus.
LINK:
The Cochrane Study - Link:
It's not much fun to read, but here it is.
You guys have a great day.
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