A review article published in the peer-reviewed open access journal Heliyon last month reported possible harm from “imposing extended mask mandates” due to prolonged exposure to elevated levels of CO2.
German researchers reported that an analysis of 43 studies on chronic CO2 exposure or face coverings suggested that masks actually increase the chance of mild CO2 poisoning when worn over extended periods of time.
The German scientists pointed to published observations that CO2 is a contributor to oxidative stress, which have been linked to negative effects on brain function and can lead to testicular problems in rats.Circumstantial Evidence for Stillbirth Risk
Stillbirths and pregnancy complications have skyrocketed since the the start of the pandemic, with preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications being linked to the virus.The research team has also pointed to a potential role of increased mask wearing in contributing to the increased reports of stillbirths since the pandemic.
“Circumstantial evidence exists that popular mask use may be related to current observations of a significant rise of 28 percent to 33 percent in stillbirths worldwide [and] reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance of two full standard deviations in scores in children born during the pandemic,” the scientists wrote in the review.
The study noted that wearing a mask for more than five minutes can cause CO2 levels in the lungs to rise to between 1.4 percent and 3.2 percent.
A reference study in Germany measured the CO2 concentration of air behind surgical masks worn by 15 healthy men, and within 30 minutes, levels of toxic CO2 rose to roughly 2.8 to 3.2 percent.
A team in Italy conducted a similar test, which found a CO2 concentration of 0.22 to 0.29 percent in individuals after five minutes of wearing a mask. CO2 naturally makes up around 0.04 percent of the air regularly inhaled, wrote the researchers.
The study also noted research that showed how masks can constrict breathing by creating a dead space between the filter and the mouth, boosting the levels of CO2 in the lungs.
‘Toxicity of Chronic CO2 Exposure’
Included in the German research team’s reviewed studies were those examining CO2 exposure and its impact on reproduction and the nervous systems of rodents dating back to November 30, 2021.One key study found that exposing pregnant guinea pigs to 0.48 percent CO2 for 10 minutes daily, for 20 executive days, had led to stillbirths and birth defects in 68 percent of infants.
The researchers also looked at studies which tested the effect of similar CO2 levels on animals.
Another reviewed study reported that even short-term exposure to low concentrations of CO2 of 0.3 percent could cause brain damage, increased anxiety, and memory loss in mice.
The study also found “irreversible neuron damage” in the offspring of pregnant rats.
Another study revealed that testicular cells and sperm were eradicated in male rodents exposed to 2.5 percent CO2 for at least four hours, the equivalent of 0.5 percent for humans.
However, none of the studies looked directly at the connection between mask use, miscarriages, infertility, and neurodevelopment disorders, while the exact effects of toxic levels of CO2 on unborn fetuses has yet to be fully analysed.
Dr. Kevin Bass, a cell and molecular biology PhD student, said on Twitter that the consequence of the new publication was “explosive,” but that “we do not have any good evidence in pregnant women ... of the long-term effects of mask-wearing and therefore, no evidence that these effects occur in women.”“All we have are animal studies and a clear indication that changes in CO2 concentrations do occur in mask-wearing women,” Bass wrote.
The experiments examining the potential side-effects of CO2 on fertility, were based on rodents and not people, due to ethical reasons.Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that levels of CO2 remain below 0.5 percent for an eight-hour exposure.
