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| - Fact Check: Are people wearing masks not getting enough oxygen?
The video shows a man using an air quality monitoring machine to measure oxygen intake levels before and after wearing a mask.
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India Today Fact Check
Experts say air quality monitoring machines are not ideal for measuring rapidly changing oxygen levels underneath a mask. Normal cotton and surgical masks do not limit the oxygen one can breathe.
A video going viral on social media shows a man using an air quality monitoring machine to measure oxygen intake levels before and after wearing a mask. The machine reportedly shows a dip in oxygen levels after the man wears a mask, following which he warns that people using face covers to protect themselves from Covid-19 aren't getting enough oxygen.
The 2-minute-30-second video has been shared by several Facebook users. The video was uploaded on YouTube with the title "Oxygen mask test" on June 23, 2020.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral claim is misleading. According to experts, air quality monitors are not ideal for measuring rapidly changing oxygen levels under a mask. Normal cotton and surgical masks recommended for protection against the spread of coronavirus do not limit oxygen intake levels.
The archived versions of the posts can be seen here, here and here.
VIRAL VIDEO
In the video, the man claims a human being needs at least 19.5 per cent oxygen in the air to breathe. He puts the pipe of the air quality monitor near his mouth and shows the camera where the first reading says 20.6 per cent.
He then wears a mask and puts the same pipe under it. After holding it for 17 seconds, the alarm goes off and he shows the reading on camera. The monitor reading now shows 17.4 per cent.
The man says this is why people wearing masks are having headaches as they do not get enough oxygen. He warns that people running while wearing masks will have it tougher.
IS AIR QUALITY MONITOR RELIABLE?
According to United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), an environment with less than 19.5 per cent oxygen is called oxygen deficient.
According to scientists, measuring oxygen levels under face masks is a complicated process. This is because air quality monitors take 10 seconds on an average to adjust to air quality in a particular environment. Now if the air quality keeps changing rapidly, the machine will take 10 seconds to adjust to every change.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide levels under a mask keep changing constantly as the normal respiration rate for an adult human being at rest is 12 to 20 breaths per minute.
Breathing in a mask, one expels high levels of carbon dioxide before quickly sucking in oxygen from the outside atmosphere. So normal air quality monitors are not ideal for measuring the oxygen concentration in a mask where the air being inhaled and exhaled changes constantly.
American fact-check website "Politifact" reached out to Kirsten Koehler, associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who said it takes about 10 seconds for a sensor to respond to a change in oxygen concentration, which cannot keep up with human breathing.
ARE MASKS SAFE?
AFWA had earlier debunked claims of oxygen deficiency and fatigue due to prolonged use of masks.
According to Stanford research scientist John Xu, "N95 masks are estimated to reduce oxygen intake by anywhere from 5-20 per cent. That's significant, even for a healthy person. It can cause dizziness and lightheadedness... if you are severely ill and continuously wearing an N95 mask for several hours at a time, it can damage the lungs. For a patient in respiratory distress, it can even be life threatening."
N95 masks are designed in a way that there is a seal around the mouth and nose, so the only air entering the mask is through a filter.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend the general public to wear N95 masks. Medical practitioners and scientists recommend cotton and surgical face masks for the public. Unlike N95 masks, these do not limit the flow of oxygen while breathing.
Stanford engineers have also developed a face mask recently that can counter the side-effects of oxygen deficiency.
CONCLUSION
Hence, the video of an air quality monitor signaling low oxygen levels under a mask is misleading. The reading could be correct but air quality monitors are not ideal for measuring frequently changing air quality under a mask. Unless one is using N95 masks, normal cotton and surgical masks do not restrict oxygen flow.
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