In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, confusion surrounded many medical issues related to a scary, novel disease. Travel restraints, quarantines, mortality rates, treatment modalities, and a vortex of complex issues confronted an anxious American public told ubiquitous masks were a necessary prophylactic pending the arrival of a vaunted new vaccine to rescue humanity. Children were force-masked in schools, unmasked citizens were shamed in retail stores, legislators called for criminal sanctions for the noncompliant, and claims that masking caused harm or was ineffective were viciously attacked as misinformation. A recent South Korean study reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), however, concluded that masking can indeed cause harm, especially for children.
In “Measuring the quantity of harmful volatile organic compounds inhaled through masks,” NIH posited what many concerned parents had wondered about in 2020:
“If harmful chemicals are released from these masks, there may be harmful effects on human health. In this study, the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from some commonly used masks was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively under diverse conditions … As masks are worn close to the face, temperature may increase beyond the ambient temperature due to body heat. … When the temperature of the mask rises, the types and concentrations of the VOCs emitted from the mask can rise with it.”
Free Speech to Question Masks
Any drywaller or mason knows that the masks worn to prevent viral spread are insufficient to block visible particulate matter such as drywall dust or masonry cement, creating a false sense of security that would cause even greater disease spread. Yet government spokesmen and the medical community insisted that face diapers would block viruses that are infinitesimal in size compared to dust, and the drywallers, and masons, and other folk who knew better were not permitted alternative opinions on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media. Sensible voices claimed masks could cause respiratory or other illnesses, increase carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels, or inhibit herd immunity and natural immune system development in children. Their voices too were silenced: Their simple scientific observations were verboten.
The recent study is remarkable not because it challenges official nonsense scientifically (like real science!) but in that it breaks from the political tyranny that Fauci & Co inflicted on Americans. Is the NIH uncaptured by the cultish fear ladled out so copiously by Joe Biden and others? How did the federal government’s lock-stepping lies get challenged by another agency – didn’t NIH get the memo? Likely, it was impossible to simply ignore the South Korean study that should have been undertaken in America.
Seeking Credible Science
The US government has seen its credibility fall like the biblical Tower of Babel. The more “real science” intrudes into unscientific political narratives, the more government agencies will lose credibility. This extends to bunk science about climate change, gender identity and hormone blockers for children, and even statistical abuses in critical race “theory” that labels all white people as criminals and all black people as victims. These and more display grotesque departures from traditional scientific and statistical inquiry to foster a hideous cult of hate and falsehood.
The NIH presents a credible study openly affirming what private citizens and physicians were banned, or even attacked, for suggesting two years ago:
“Now that masks are all but required, the harmful chemicals that can be released from them must be evaluated. … This study demonstrated that disposable masks (KF94) released higher concentrations of TVOCs in comparison to cotton masks … It is clear that particular attention must be paid to the VOCs associated with the use of KF94 masks their effects on human health. Based on our findings, we suggest that prior to wearing a KF94 mask, each product should be opened and not worn for at least 30 min, thereby reducing TVOC concentrations to levels that will not impair human health.”
How comforting – let the chemical-infused masks air out a tad before wrapping your toddler’s face. Yet the Korean study “found that disposable masks, including medical-grade N95 masks, released eight times the recommended safety limit for toxic volatile organic compounds (TVOCs).” Maybe an hour would be a better air-out, especially for vulnerable children.
NIH does not address carbon dioxide build-up or immune system compromise caused by inhibiting normal development via natural exposure to pathogens. Much like the gut’s microbiome and chlorine in drinking water, “science” often tells us how great its new initiatives are … until they aren’t. Will NIH investigate other possible masking harms?
This is not likely, but neither is it necessary: Masks unquestionably create health risks. It is just a question of degree. Mask resistors are vindicated. VOCs are nasty chemicals, some of which have been linked to cancer. The American Lung Association warns breathing them can irritate membranes, cause difficulty breathing, and “can damage the central nervous system and other organs.” VOCs are also found in paints, caulks, pesticides, disinfectants, and tobacco smoke, all good chemical company to swaddle a young child’s face. (Then there is an experimental jab for children not at significant risk from COVID-19.)
Masking the Bigger Issue
(Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
Public discussion must now openly address mask safety, but also the freedom to discuss masks and vaccine efficacy. An ancillary discussion must advance basic free speech liberties, which have been denied by a government blatantly conspiring with corporate media and pharmaceutical companies to impose a monolithic mantra that was and remains patently false. Do parents have the right to protect their children from the damage caused by masks, or will the government override that and marginalize noncompliant families?
South Korean scientists undertook a scientific study eschewed by the US medical community, rescuing Americans from the failures of their own political and scientific leadership. This is not, then, simply of science, but of constitutional liberties, which also have been masked. One must hope citizens will be permitted more than thirty minutes to air their just grievances.
