The statements made in a video posted on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram are false, according to which the prolonged use of personal protective masks can acidify the blood and increase the chances of contagion by the coronavirus.
According to studies and experts heard by Comprova, the correct use of masks reduces the transmission of the virus.
The masks are made of porous material, which allows the passage of the oxygen consumed and the carbon dioxide produced during breathing. What masks prevent is the passage of droplets, small particles that stay in the air and carry the virus.
The material used in the production of the masks is subjected to tests that show that the pores have the capacity to stop the droplets and allow the passage of gases.
Sought by Comprova, the website Corpur Iuris, which released the video investigated in this check, did not respond to the contact made by e-mail, through the website itself and by telephone of the lawyer indicated on the website.
Comprova classifies the claim that masks can harm people’s health as false because it uses inaccurate data, out of context, to lead people to a conclusion that is not true.
How do we check?
The video verified here was first released on a Telegram channel. Comprova contacted those responsible to check the sources of information used in the production of the material, but received no response.
Next, Comprova researched the guidelines of health authorities on the use of masks, which are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Ministry of Health.
We also looked for infectologists, who reported medical and scientific aspects about the use of masks.
Finally, we analyzed studies on the prolonged use of masks, such as this one from Memorial Hospital in Miami, which shows that there is no significant change in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production.
Verification
Masks, as well as hand hygiene, are one of the ways to prevent infection by the coronavirus, according to recommendations from the Ministry of Health. Contrary to what the video verified here, masks do not retain the carbon dioxide produced during breathing.
The material used in the manufacture of masks, whether surgical, disposable or homemade cloth, is porous – that is, it contains holes large enough for oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to pass from one side to the other and small enough for prevent droplets that carry the coronavirus from passing through.
Studies like this one, from Memorial Hospital in Miami, show that breathing is not impaired by wearing masks. The volunteers underwent exercises of different intensities with and without a mask, and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide maintained the expected variations even in people with respiratory problems.
What do the experts say?
Experts interviewed pointed out that there is no scientific basis for the idea that the use of masks causes health risks. According to them, the item should be used as a measure to prevent contagion.
According to infectious disease specialist Marcus Guerra, director of the Hospital Tropical do Amazonas, there is no support for the theory that masks acidify the blood or facilitate the proliferation of the virus.
“There is no basis. Exhaled air containing CO2 is not inspired again. Several scientific works have already declassified content that mentions this possibility,” he explains.
On the claim that strengthening the immune system is enough to protect people from the coronavirus, the doctor points out that it is not correct.
“The immune system is highly specific. For him to react to an invader, quickly and efficiently, he must have been stimulated beforehand. This is the role of existing vaccines in the vaccination schedule of the National Immunization Program”, emphasizes Marcus.
According to doctor Nelson Barbosa, an infectious disease specialist who acted in the lack of oxygen crisis in Amazonas during the covid-19 pandemic, masks fulfill their role of prevention without harming the health of the body. “We wouldn’t even have the decrease in transmission without the continuous use of them”, says the doctor.
He also disagrees when it is said that just strengthening the immune system already prevents the action of the coronavirus. “Strengthening the immune system mitigates the deleterious effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but does not prevent its infection,” he concluded.
Wearing a mask does not acidify the blood
The video investigated by Comprova claims that wearing the masks for a long period makes the blood more acidic due to the high amount of carbon dioxide absorbed during breathing.
In addition to the information not being true, due to the material used in the production of the masks allowing both the oxygen from the environment and the exhaled carbon dioxide to pass through the filter, the information is also false because the necessary amount of carbon dioxide to be inhaled for there to be a significant change in the blood pH would only be possible in case of asphyxia or complete sealing, as when breathing inside a plastic bag, as this study from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul explains.
In addition, small changes in blood acidity are leveled by the body itself, as shown in a study produced by scientists from the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp).
Why do we investigate?
Comprova checks suspicious content that circulates on social media, related to the pandemic, public policies of the federal government or the 2022 elections. The focus is publications that have great reach. The video checked in this text had at least 6 thousand interactions as soon as it was posted on Facebook and 2 thousand interactions on Twitter, in addition to having circulated through applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
Other verification agencies such as Fato ou Fake, Veja, Estadão and Lupa and even the UN YouTube channel have already carried out verifications on the same or similar topic, as did Comprova itself on at least four occasions, explaining how masks protect against the H3N2 epidemic, showing that masks do not make blood acidic, that a study showing that masks would be ineffective is misleading, and that authorities and scholars recommend wearing a mask.
For Comprova, false is content invented or edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disclosed to spread a lie.
Investigated by: CNN Brasil and Portal Norte de Notícias. Verified by: O Dia, Nexo, NSC Comunicação, Correio de Carajás, Correio Braziliense, O Popular and Estadão
Source: CNN Brasil
