Re:Steven Pinker on the Tribal Roots of Defying Social Dista...
by xscott on Saturday June 27, 2020 @08:42PM
(#23665894)
> potential increased risk of self-contamination due to the manipulation of a face mask and subsequently touching eyes with contaminated hands
This one seems very real to me. I've always been a bit of a germophobe, so I'm careful not to touch my face after shaking hands or using a greasy door knob etc... Now that masks are required in my area (questionably enforced, but an actual mandate from the mayor), if I'm in the grocery store and my mask slips a little, I have to touch the mask to adjust/fix it. Of course my hands have been on the shopping cart and such.
When my gym opens up, they're going to require masks too. I'm not sure how that's going to work when doing cardio. Am I going to be huffing out my sweat through the fabric on my face?
Yes, they are, because there are potential risks associated with wearing a mask, not only potential benefits:
The likely disadvantages of the use of mask by healthy people in the general public include:
• potential increased risk of self-contamination due to the manipulation of a face mask and subsequently touching eyes with contaminated hands;(48, 49)
• potential self-contamination that can occur if non-medical masks are not changed when wet or soiled. This can create favourable conditions for microorganism to amplify;*
• potential headache and/or breathing difficulties, depending on type of mask used;
• potential development of facial skin lesions, irritant dermatitis or worsening acne, when used frequently for long hours;(50)
• difficulty with communicating clearly;
• potential discomfort;(41, 51)
• a false sense of security, leading to potentially lower adherence to other critical preventive measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene;
• poor compliance with mask wearing, in particular by young children;
• waste management issues; improper mask disposal leading to increased litter in public places, risk of contamination to street cleaners and environment hazard;
• difficulty communicating for deaf persons who rely on lip reading;
• disadvantages for or difficulty wearing them, especially for children, developmentally challenged persons, those with mental illness, elderly persons with cognitive impairment, those with asthma or chronic respiratory or breathing problems, those who have had facial trauma or recent oral maxillofacial surgery, and those living in hot and humid environments.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/advice-on-the-use-of...
Btw, this is not a new discussion. There has long been uncertainty about the benefits of wearing a surgical mask in the community, to protect oneself or others from diseases. e.g. see this article from The Conversation dated October 17, 2019 and titled Can surgical masks protect you from getting the flu?:
https://theconversation.com/can-surgical-masks-protect-you-f...