I'm very concerned about the rising rates of #COVID19 in AZ, TX, etc. So here is my rant about masks. 1/n
I'm a lung doctor and I feel like I know a lot about oxygen. For example, see here: link.springer.com/article/10.100…
Or here: mic.com/articles/13590…
So, you can trust me when I say that masks do not affect your oxygen levels.
I found this one paper that showed a "statistically significant" decline in O2 saturation in surgeons. However, we would not consider the 1-1.5% drop to be clinically significant.
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
However, this study had subjects walk on a treadmill wearing a surgical mask for 1 hr, without change in oxygen levels. sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
What about CO2, you ask. They found a statistically significant rise in CO2 of 2 mmHg, which the authors concluded was not consequential (and I agree).
What about people with lung disease? We actually recommend that people with #asthma or #COPD wear a mask or scarf to protect from cold air in the winter. So lung disease by itself is not a reason to avoid masks.
copdfoundation.org/COPD360social/…
copdfoundation.org/COPD360social/…
I'm not sure how this became political. Masks actually align with traditionally republican viewpoints: fiscally conservative, no government spending, pro-business (allow businesses to open), personal responsibly, ...
...and "freedom" according to the @Surgeon_General cnn.com/2020/06/14/hea…
I usually try to avoid politics and religion in my tweets, but since I've already crossed that bridge... love thy neighbor, the Golden Rule, etc.
We can all take this simple step of wearing a face covering, but please save the N95s for healthcare workers and 1st responders. Shopping at Costco is not an aerosol generating procedure. End.
