What's the score on masks?

[snotface]

In the past 2 years since I started wearing an N95 mask I have never once even caught a common cold. Very unusual for me, because for years I would routinely catch at least one cold a year, especially around flu season, and I also suffered from sinus infections at least once per year which required prescription strength nasel spray to treat. Since wearing the mask (knock of wood) my annual colds and sinus infections are a thing of the past, and I've never once experienced even a hint of a flu symptom.

Dodger in a post of 31st July talking about his exercise and health-supplement regime:

'The last time I was sick (from anything) was when I contacted the flu during our hockey teams last game of the season in 1972. Since then I have not even had a nose snivel. I credit the acidoplulis (probiotic) I was taking for preventing any cases of diarea, urinary track infections, stomach problems, etc. as well as contributing to my strong immune system.'

[Dodger]

Dodger in a post of 31st July talking about his exercise and health-supplement regime:

'The last time I was sick (from anything) was when I contacted the flu during our hockey teams last game of the season in 1972. Since then I have not even had a nose snivel. I credit the acidoplulis (probiotic) I was taking for preventing any cases of diarea, urinary track infections, stomach problems, etc. as well as contributing to my strong immune system.'

Fortunately, I've remained just as healthy after this pandemic hit than before it came to town. Yes, I still take a daily probiotic and will continue doing so. The sinus infection that has bothered me since birth is now gone. I attribute this (right or wrong) to wearing a mask. plus the fact that 2 more years have passed without a sniffle.

[christianpfc]

Why would anyone want to negate the effects of a mask?

I was providing a possible solution to the OP's dilemma.

...and the mask helps block some (not all) of the unspent carbon monoxide fumes ...But the fact that they block some of it is a benefit.

These masks don't block any carbon monoxide. ZERO! Carbon monoxide goes through these masks like water through a sieve. Anyway, carbon monoxide is not a big problem, it goes in and out of your blood and unless you reach a toxic concentration doesn't cause lasting damage or has an accumulative effect.

Those masks don't block any gases, only particles.

When I was young, I had allergy to pollen that caused me running nose. Sometimes I wore a gas mask (from military, with a filter that is designed to filter out gases, but in this cases I used it just to filter out particles), and my situation improved!

[Dodger]

These masks don't block any carbon monoxide. ZERO!!

I understand...N95 masks weren't designed to block any gases at all, but unspent carbon monoxide contains particulates which are not a gas because of inefficient burning in an engines combustion process. And these particulate can be blocked by these masks to some degree. That's where all the "black shit" that gerefan2 and I are describing comes from.

Below is a link to a recent study showing the advantages of wearing an N95 mask relative to the effectives of CO. The conclusion was that of all three types of masks being tested, such as surgical mask, N95 mask, and carbon mask, were effective to reduce CO levels from air pollution - with the most significant being the N95 and carbon mask. Fabric mask has the poorest protection from CO levels.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7780759/

[dinagam]

Very well said. The same ought to be "encouraged" for the anti-vaxers.

.
Caveat emptor

[arsenal]

Mr Dodger.
Far be it from me to disparage your mask success. However I should point out that perhaps the reason you've escaped your annual cold/sinus is because you haven't been around many people and that's because there aren't any people there.

[Dodger]

Mr Dodger.
Far be it from me to disparage your mask success. However I should point out that perhaps the reason you've escaped your annual cold/sinus is because you haven't been around many people and that's because there aren't any people there.

Valid point.

What really throws me is the sinus problem disappearing that I've dealt with since birth. There must be something in the air causing this that the mask blocks.

Anyway, I plan to keep wearing it when I think it's going to be helpful. Air pollution over here is a real problem, especially during the Feb-March timeframe when the farmers do their burning, and it will always be useful when riding the motorbike.

[Manforallseasons]

I know a lot of foreigners that should always wear a mask Covid or not.

[Manforallseasons]

They say that giving a couple of drops of bourbon to a parakeet with a cold will also help.

[goji]

The health benefit from wearing a PROPER mask is blocking particles such as PM2.5, which tend to be way above peak levels in the dry season in Thailand. I was sometimes wearing a valved FFP3 mask in Bangkok before covid, when out and about.