The Science is Conclusive: Masks and Respirators do NOT Prevent Transmission of Viruses

SOTT Signs Of The Times ^ | April 20, 2020 | Dr. Denis G Rancourt, PhD

[Grandpa Drudge]

(excerpt copied from this article)

Conclusion regarding masks that do not work

No RCT study with verified outcome shows a benefit for HCW or community members in households to wearing a mask or respirator. There is no such study. There are no exceptions. Likewise, no study exists that shows a benefit from a broad policy to wear masks in public (more on this below).

Furthermore, if there were any benefit to wearing a mask, because of the blocking power against droplets and aerosol particles, then there should be more benefit from wearing a respirator (N95) compared to a surgical mask, yet several large meta-analyses, and all the RCT, prove that there is no such relative benefit. Masks and respirators do not work.

Precautionary Principle turned on its head with masks

In light of the medical research, therefore, it is difficult to understand why public-health authorities are not consistently adamant about this established scientific result, since the distributed psychological, economic and environmental harm from a broad recommendation to wear masks is significant, not to mention the unknown potential harm from concentration and distribution of pathogens on and from used masks.

Physics and Biology of Viral Respiratory Disease, and why masks do not work

In this case, public authorities would be turning the precautionary principle on its head.

[CodeToad]

Of course they don't. A virus is transmitted in many ways, so unless a person prevents those avenues of infection, a mask is just a political flag of obedience.

[kingu]

Our bi-county area lost over 85 people to influenza B between Nov 15th and Jan 15th, roughly 20 times what we’ve lost due to COVID-19. We took it seriously, you’re welcome to chant BS all you’d like because it doesn’t fit your narrative.

[Paleo Pete]

Same here. I make it to the door of a store, I’m already breathing hard. 3 minutes and I’m huffing like I just ran the 50 yard dash. By the time I get out of tbe grocery store, I’m seriously overheated, sinuses draining like a faucet, never able to breathe normally until a couple of minutes after I pull the mask off. 64 and have copd. Almost exactly what you described. I do get light headed at times too.

I finally left it off, that has to be seriously unhealthy. Didn’t know there was a name and specific reason for it till I read your post. I did suspect co2 was the reason though. Rebreathing co2 and otber already exhaled gases cannot be good for tbose with existing respiratory issues.

Fortunately the county where I live has only had under 50 cases total so far, I’m not in a higb risk area like Houston, which is 3 hours away. I was looking at a graph yesterday, looked like just over 40, I’m calling it under 50 to be on the safe side. They didn’t give a specific number of local cases. And that’s cases, not deaths. I know of only one death. Older person with health issues, got it traveling outside our area.

I looked up Hypercapnia, sounds like what happens when I put on a mask. I’m just glad it’s not as high risk around here as some other places...

Glad to know it’s not just me...

[CodeToad]

Something I made to help fight the simple minded.

[CodeToad]

Here's another one to use.

[alexander_busek]

Please see my reply to oincobx (post 118, above) to understand how and why this is true.

I, of course, understand that a very small amount of exhaled air (which will, of course, contain a few percent of CO2) is "trapped" in the space between the mask and your face, and will hence be re-inhaled.

I just didn't think that this small amount of CO2 was significant. Didn't ponder the effects of multiple re-inhalations, though - so you are right and I concede that I was too hasty in my objections. (Say, is that a Free Republic "first?")

Regards,

[Bryan24]

Grandpa Drudge, just to add to your excellent post, Aerosols that float around in the air will get sucked right around the edges of any unsealed mask.

Unless the mask is fitted and checked for seal, it will allow unfiltered air into your lungs. And it doesn’t take much of a leak to allow most of the air inhaled to come through the leak. Air will move through the path of least resistance. And the mass of an aerosol droplet is so small, it will travel with the easiest air current.

[exDemMom]

More importantly, sneezing into your elbow (sleeves or not) deposits the sneeze on your elbow instead of your hands, making it less likely that you will contaminate other objects with your hands.

Wouldn't coughing or sneezing into a sleeve be more effective at containing a virus than coughing or sneezing into a bare elbow? I'm thinking that both surface area and the nature of the material would play a role here. Cloth is more absorbent than skin.

[Mom MD]

Of a tissue the. throw the tissue out

[exDemMom]

South Dakota entirely optional masks. They have one of the lowest infection and death rates on the planet.

And what is the population density of South Dakota? I would expect any place with a low population density to have low infection rates. Also, the number of daily cases in NY has dropped significantly since its peak. NY is not responsible for the surge in new cases; those seem to be happening in southern states. CA, TX, FL have all had surges.

As always, I get my data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

[exDemMom]

While I am skeptical of the protection against being infected when wearing the masks, especially by the untrained, there are some weird definition things stated here.

The masks are to prevent you from giving the disease to others, not so much to prevent them from giving the disease to you.

[exDemMom]

You didn’t read the article, did you?

Do you mean the blog article? I read what was excerpted here.

[SmokingJoe]

Post condemning rioters for not wearing masks? Does one need to bother posting that?

Yup.
You far left crazies only rediscover “social distancing” and face masks and “stay home stay safe” when Trump started holding his rallies again. Every single Dem politician and far left operative vigorously supported the “protests” and more often than not took part in it.
The Superior Court in New York just ruled against DeBlasio and Cuomo for exactly that reason.
You can't have it both ways. You can't have no social distancing, no masks great for “protesters”, riots and looters, but then “you are putting everyone’s life at risk” if you go to church or Trump’s rally.

[dfwgator]

I think that was the whole motivation for the Trump rally, to give them that talking point about the hypocrisy.

[exDemMom]

A cotton quilt with batting provides 96 ± 2% (10 nm to 300 nm) and 96.1 ± 0.3% (300 nm to 6 μm) filtration of these droplets.

Cotton is absorbent. That is a huge help to removing viruses that you exhale. (I think the filtration is achieved by factors in addition to the pore size between threads. A less absorbent material would not work as well.)

[SmokingJoe]

The results of those protests are showing up in the massive increases in positive tests in the urban areas (conveniently being blamed on family gatherings...)

The rise in positives has everything to do with the close to 30 million tests that have been done and counting as compared to under a million tests just over a couple of months ago.
39 times more tests equals vastly more positives.
That in itself is no cause for concern. The overwhelming percentage of positives are totally asymptomatic or show only very mild symptoms. They get on with life as usual.
Meanwhile, deaths are at the lowest levels since March, down 90% from previous peaks. That is what counts.

[SmokingJoe]

But I’m confused why you’re bringing up the actions of criminals who were rioting. They’re criminals, of course they don’t care about the welfare of others.

According to everything I heard from all the Democratic Party leaders and the media, they were “peaceful protests” against systemic racism and police brutality. In fact almost every Democrat political leader took part in it and strongly supported it.
Even the “health care workers” issued a strong statement saying protesting against racism takes precedence over social distancing, masks and everything thing else.
None of these “health professionals” including Fauci dared condemn the angry mobs.
If you wanted any proof that it's all political, that was it.

[faucetman]

I hand washed (bleach and soap and water, air dry) my mask the other day. It was getting real grody. I guess after a couple months it was overdue.

[SmokingJoe]

And what is the population density of South Dakota? I would expect any place with a low population density to have low infection rates.

Not necessarily. South Dakota was relentless attacked by the media, Democrats like Cuomo (who at one of his countless coronavirus press conferences, predicted that places like South Dakota will be like New York in four weeks time, back in April. He claimed it was the “science and the data) and health “experts” like Fauci who demanded states like South Dakota go on mandatory lockdowns like everyone else. They never did. And they ended up doing great time in every way.

Also, the number of daily cases in NY has dropped significantly since its peak. NY is not responsible for the surge in new cases; those seem to be happening in southern states. CA, TX, FL have all had surges.

CA TX and FL have vastly lower infection and death rates than New York. On a per million bases they are not even close.
Not to mention New York has deliberately slowed down their testing to make them look good, after first of all infecting and killing off nursing home inmates and then deliberately and fraudulently lowering the Nursing home death figures.
The New York Post did plenty of stories on that.

[cyclotic]

So I did a little research. The particle size of a virus is .0005 to .03 microns.

As a comparison, the particle size of wood smoke fumes is also about .03 microns.

I just went outside and lit a few wooden matches. With a basic cloth surgical style mask, I could clearly smell the smoke, thus proving beyond shadow of doubt that cloth, nylon and fashion masks are 100% useless.

Then I tried it with a N95 mask. Guess what? Yep, I could still smell smoke. It was not as intense but it was still noticeable.

Conclusion: Don’t suck up to the government overlords. Remove your masks.