A new scientific study asserts that nanofibers in the masks we are wearing by the billions could put us at serious risk for respiratory inflammation and even cause a cancer known as mesothelioma. These nano-plastics are shed from many different masks being used across the globe and can be inhaled into the lungs, where they impede breathing. One of the issues is that these nanofibers made by nanotechnology industries approximate the size of asbestos – and we all know how deadly that substance turned out to be.
The study is called “Need for assessing the inhalation of micro(nano)plastic debris shed from masks, respirators, and home-made face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.” According to journalist Jeffrey Jaxen of The Highwire, the researchers used an electron microscope to scan the mask's inner part that faces our mouth. Unsurprisingly, some fragments and particles are loosely attached to the structural fibers of the product. But the scan revealed micro-sized fibers – as well as sub-micron or nano-sized fibers.
Why is this a problem? According to a 2012 study done by Professor Ken Donaldson at the University of Edinburgh:
“Concern has been expressed that new kinds of nanofibers being made by nanotechnology industries might pose a risk because they have a similar shape to asbestos. Nanofibers, which can be made from a range of materials, including carbon, are about 1,000 times smaller than the width of human hair and can reach the lung cavity when inhaled. This may lead to a cancer known as mesothelioma, which is known to be caused by breathing in asbestos fibers which are similar to nanofibers.”
And now it appears that the Cassandra-like warning of a decade ago is playing out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government of Belgium distributed 15 million masks for free to its citizens in June of 2020. These masks were made by a Luxembourg company called Avrox. According to a French toxicologist named Dominique Lison, the masks contain silver and titanium dioxide nanoparticles that can have a negative effect on the respiratory tract if inhaled. As we have known since the beginning of the pandemic, among the most at risk include those with existing underlying respiratory problems who stand an increased chance of developing pneumonia – or something potentially even deadlier.
Interestingly, it is the size and not the inherent toxicity of asbestos and these nanofibers that causes such deleterious health impacts in humans. They are small enough to be inhaled far into the respiratory system, where they can inflame the lungs and cause potentially carcinogenic effects.
This unhappy news arrives at a time when the CDC is doubling down – literally – on its masking recommendations. In a tacit admission that masks have been utterly ineffective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus, Anthony Fauci insisted a few months ago that two masks would probably be a better idea. But that was good enough for the CDC, which asserted that double-masking is likely more efficacious in stopping COVID-19. (We await Dr. Fauci’s recommendations on double underpants breathlessly – because we’ll be wearing two masks when we hear it).
After releasing a hilarious study of how effective masks are on dummies (you read that correctly) that do not – as it turns out – actually breathe, the CDC offered a newly authoritative study that purports to show the undeniable efficacy of masks against the spread of COVID. The study asserts between a 1.1% and a 1.8% drop in cases associated with mask use. That’s not nothing, but for this less than impressive number – one that is disputed by scores and scores of studies, both peer-reviewed and otherwise – we must be willing to put up with the possibility of contracting cancer.
Over 15 states have dramatically reduced or eliminated mask mandates, including Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, and South Carolina. Is the next wave to hit America one of questioning conventional wisdom, science-free recommendations, and the unassailably authoritative assertions of our “expert class”?
As a man who survived the worst pandemic of all time wrote: “’Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.”
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Read more from Pennel Bird.
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