by Kerry Dougherty

Everyone knows that wearing a mask all day is unpleasant.

Recent studies – one in the U.S., another larger study out of Germany — concluded that masks are actually unhealthy for children. Unsurprisingly, the mainstream media ignored the findings.

Fortunately, The Federalist didn’t:

The JAMA report measured averages of 13,120 to 13,910 ppm of carbon dioxide in the inhaled air of children wearing masks, which is over six times higher than the unsafe threshold. The study further pointed out this measurement was after only three minutes of wearing a mask. Children forced to wear masks at school find themselves wearing masks for hours, five days a week.

Apparently, so did the CDC.

Last week that agency unveiled its guidelines for schools and recommended that unvaccinated children be masked all day in school — except when outside — which means elementary school kids who are too young to be vaccinated will most likely be sporting face diapers this fall.

In states that slavishly follow CDC guidance, that is. At least eight states have passed measures outlawing mask mandates.

But before states rush to comply with the CDC, it’s worth remembering that the health organization doesn’t make RULES, it offers RECOMMENDATIONS. Governors are not obliged to obey.

States and school districts can ignore the guidelines. And they should.

Last year we were told that children were being masked to protect their teachers. But as soon as vaccines became available, teachers leapfrogged over seniors and cancer patients to get theirs.

 So the narrative changed.

Kids are being ordered into masks in school allegedly because of the more contagious variants, even though they, too, cause a mild illness in children. Oh,  and most folks who are vulnerable to COVID have been vaccinated.

Enough already.

Why shouldn’t we ignore the masking rules just like we ignore so many other CDC recommendations?

Think about it.

There’s the CDC’s guideline to cook eggs until they’re hard as rocks, for instance.

And the CDC’S aversion to all sorts of dough:

Do not taste or eat any raw dough or batter, whether for cookies, tortillas, pizza, biscuits, pancakes, or crafts, made with raw flour, such as homemade play dough or holiday ornaments.

Shoot, the CDC says children should not even TOUCH raw dough.

Do not let children play with or eat raw dough, including dough for crafts.

We all know that we’re not supposed to eat rare or medium rare meat. The CDC wants us to consume beef that’s been cooked into submission.

And sushi?

The CDC suggests that no one over 65 should eat raw fish.

Oh, and here’s a guideline that roughly 60% of Americans ignore: The CDC says we shouldn’t be kissing our dogs and cats or sleeping with them.

Our review suggests that persons, especially young children …should be discouraged from sharing their bed with their pets or regularly kissing their pets. Any area licked by a pet, especially for children …should be immediately washed with soap and water.

Look, the CDC does not make public policy. It offers suggestions.

Let’s thank the CDC for its suggestions, keep kissing our dogs and make masks optional for school kids.


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41 responses to “Mask Pollution”

  1. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    Reading articles like this remind me of Herve Villechaize, the actor from Fantasy Island, shouting, “the plane!, the plane!” every time new guests arrived. Today it’s people shouting, “the science!, the science!”

    I just fulfilled a lifetime goal of spending a week fishing in the backwoods of Alaska. It was a great trip. Unfortunately, the effort to get to and from Alaska was largely spent on commercial airplanes where I was required to wear a mask for long periods of time. Needless to say, once we got to Alaska and flew small, propeller driven planes there wasn’t a mask in sight. I can easily see why wearing masks for long periods of time could be more harmful than beneficial.

    Meanwhile, nobody over 65 ought to eat raw fish? I guess the CDC is unaware of Japan … the country with the longest life expectancy on Earth and the global capital of sushi eating.

    But, “the science! the science! boss”.

    1. vicnicholls Avatar
      vicnicholls

      DJ how about an article on the Alaskan fishing trip. I’d like to hear about that – I’m hoping freshwater?

      1. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        If I could dream up a way to convince Jim Bacon that the trip had anything to do with Virginia I’d write the article.

        I was in fresh water. About 35 miles upstream from the sea. I hoped to spend one day in salt water fishing for halibut but the reported 7 foot seas in a small boat were too much to handle.

  2. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    So, there is no science behind the CDC guidelines and recommendations, or do you just ignore that science and pick other science you like better?

    When science (as opposed to “smart people” and bloggers) is contradictory, more science is conducted and the newer studies replicated and then guidance updated per the evolving science.

    The CDC says this:

    ” This guidance is based on current scientific evidence and lessons learned from schools implementing COVID-19 prevention strategies.”

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html

    It does not sound like “people getting their jollies” but this is the way apparently some Conservatives think these days. Ya’ll just grab on to whatever supports your own beliefs and ignore what does not and impugn science and the media that report it.

    There is a real concern that the newer variants are more infectious and to a wider array of age groups. What’s a PRUDENT approach other than the idiots who were opposed to the masks from day 1 and still are?

    Oh and Jim, isn’t that “bacteria” coming from the person breathing into the mask? So they already have it in them?

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      Let’s talk sushi. The CDC says you shouldn’t eat raw fish if you are over 65. Anybody who has ever been to Japan (the country with the longest life expectancy) can see elderly people eating sushi. Who is right? Where is “the science! boss”?

      Let me help. Salmon are a common fish to eat as sushi (i.e. uncooked). Salmon are anadromous fish – they live most of their lives in the sea but come to fresh water to spawn. Unfortunately for the Pacific salmon, their reentry into fresh water to spawn starts a cycle of death. Their weakened state in fresh water invites some parasites – especially worms. Flash freezing kills the parasites so the salmon becomes safe to eat. However, salmon still in the sea are almost always safe to eat raw.

      So, what does the science really say, Larry? Does it really say that salmon shouldn’t be consumed raw by those over 65 or does it say that only sushi grade salmon should be consumed as sushi?

      Meanwhile, Japan has the longest life expectancy for any country while the US is #46.

      Science is great but you can’t dumb it down by ignoring the inconvenient realities and exceptions.

    2. Matt Adams Avatar
      Matt Adams

      “Oh and Jim, isn’t that “bacteria” coming from the person breathing into the mask? So they already have it in them?

      Umm for someone who often clamors about science you’re surely dense to the subject.
      Humans are the host to any number of “good” bacteria’s that help us with digestion and the like. However, when you expel that bacteria and it sits on a medium where it stays moist and is warm. You bred more bacteria and not the healthy kind, hence why you’re supposed to wash your mask regularly or change them.

      1. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        One good shot of E. Coli might disabuse Larry of his “all bacteria inside me is good science”.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          If you already have it inside of you and expel it from you into the mask and then breathe it back in?

          How does that work for medical folks or scuba divers or anyone who has to wear a mask? People dying all over the place from mask bacteria? An epidemic of bacteria breathers? Yup. Next… stupid thing… ??

          1. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            “Yup. Next… stupid thing… ??”

            Oh the irony is so rich with someone who claims “science” and probably would fail 8th grade earth science class. That statement is based upon the command I can assume you have of the subject from your own comments.

            https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/ACH-News/General-News/Myths-about-Masks-and-Other-Coronavirus-Facial-Cov

            “MYTH: Wearing a cloth mask will make me sick because mold will build up in it.
            Cloth masks can be used safely more than once if you wash them each day. Proper laundering of cloth masks removes any viruses, bacteria or respiratory secretions that may build up on the mask. You should wash your cloth mask with soap and water after you are done using it for the day. It should be completely dry before you use it again. Clean, dry masks will not develop mold or make you sick.

          2. R. Kooi Avatar

            Hospital/Clinical use of masks are limited 1 time use…

            Discard frequently.

            Please notice that a combination face masks, increased washing and social distancing has stunningly reduced FLU outbreaks.

          3. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            They along with shelter in place are also the root cause of RSV outbreaks and other viruses out their peak season.

          4. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            I don’t care about Trump, he was a buffoon.

          5. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            But, but, but …. “the science!” boss –

            “Statistical analysis of the extracted data revealed no statistically significant association between mask usage and the incidence of surgical site infection. The study concluded that ‘it is unclear whether the wearing of surgical facemasks by members of the surgical team has any impact on surgical wound infection rates for patients undergoing clean surgery’.”

            https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480558/

          6. R. Kooi Avatar

            From YOUR referenced study:
            .
            “However, each of the studies included could be criticised for risk of bias (Table 2). Indeed, the Webster study, arguably the most rigorous of the three, only investigated the impact of mask on non-scrubbed members of the surgical team.

            There is uncertainty over whether the findings of some of these studies are applicable to contemporary surgical practice.

            Based upon the findings of this review, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines state that there is ‘limited evidence concerning the use of non-sterile theatre wear’ such as surgical masks when trying to minimise the risk of surgical site infection, although there was an
            overall
            ‘consensus
            that wearing non-sterile theatre wear is important in maintaining theatre discipline’. …
            ————
            “With the information currently available, it would be imprudent to recommend the removal of facemasks from surgery.”

          7. R. Kooi Avatar

            If it was stopped by the mask…it is largely captured…

          8. R. Kooi Avatar

            If it was stopped by the mask…it is largely captured…

        2. Matt Adams Avatar
          Matt Adams

          Once you get past Larrbears constant bleating of “science” you’ll realize his knowledge of that topic is very, very thin.

          1. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            A lot of what people call science is educated conjecture. One scientist says “this” while the next says “that”.

            I really struggle to see where masks help on airplanes. The air is recirculated inside the plane as I understand it. Any viral matter I exhale will circulate.

            Once upon a time, a vented N95 mask, like those worn by medical personnel was the cat’s meow of masks. Then it was realized that that kind of mask protected the wearer from getting infected, not the other way around. Now they are largely banned on airlines.

          2. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            If you cannot social distance on the plane you’re right it doesn’t make sense, however if you can the manner in which the air is recirculated makes it safer than the terminal itself.

            Medical professionals never wore the N95s with vents, only the standard N95.

            Yes, those makes were counterintuitive, much like the reliance on cloth masks. Larrbear doesn’t understand that masks even the surgical ones were only meant to be used for a shift or a procedure, not worn for a day or more. They are petri dishes of bacteria in an environment that is ripe for growth, it’s grandpas stash with steroids’.

            Science is based upon the scientific method, which means everything is questioned over and over again. It’s never “settled” contrary to what is now paraded as science.

          3. R. Kooi Avatar

            Are you claiming that N95 sterile masks are BANNED ON AIRLINES??

            YOU ARE SADLY MISTAKEN….only those masks used on construction sites with valves…because they are one way masks.

            “Is it safe to wear N95 mask in public?

            The agency doesn’t certify people who take such training.
            The post claims that N95 masks are not safe to wear in public because they filter only the air coming in, not the air going out.

            This is true but only for the kind of N95 masks commonly used in construction. These have valves, but medical N95 masks do not.”

  3. Don’t forget the fact that masks worn for hours at a time collect large concentrations of bacteria.

    The public health establishment and media have focused monomaniacally on the health risks of COVID while totally ignoring the health risks of the supposed remedies to COVID. I cannot avoid the conclusion that some people just get their jollies by dictating to others.

      1. Stephen Haner Avatar
        Stephen Haner

        Experiments = science. Go with the data. (And I also caught it when he said with a mask he is “somewhat” protected against droplets….somewhat.)

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          He’s one guy, but I thought the idea of actually measuring the levels in the blood was interesting.

          But the way that science “works” is you do get new studies , and if the authors get them published they are usually agreeing to provide the details to other scientists to try to replicate their findings.

          Over time and several studies, more information is developed and a consensus can develop, and then you add more studies to that – it’s a process.

          No single study provides anything that other scientists all agree with for that one study.

          The CDC guidance is based on the current state of the science – to date and guidance is not updated because of one new study. The CDC itself may choose to commission more studies if a new study addresses something not previously known.

          Science is not infallible nor is it ever going to provide the absolute truth from on high – it provides assessments and consensus and it’s based on current and can and does change as the science evolves.

          We do this for designing spacecraft, for researching cancer, weather, climate, and communicable diseases – it’s the same process for all.

          Picking and choosing what one wants to believe based on confirmation bias is not “science”.

          If a doctor tells you, you have a cancer, only the desperate and ignorant seek out Laetrile or other quack treatments, which is sorta what we are doing with some of the CDC stuff IMHO. Don’t like it? Don’t believe it and go find something you want to believe instead.

      2. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        Well hello strawman, the good Dr. discusses the myth of CO2, not the fact that if you don’t laundry a cloth mask daily it’ll grow fuzzy stuff that makes you sick.

        Medical professionals dawn new surgical masks each shift, when they were short they would sanitize their N95’s on the daily. You’re supposed to wash your cloth mask daily and not use it until it’s dry.

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      My three grandkids maneuvered through all this successfully all last school year, the one in Texas in a public school (in person), and the two here in in-person classes in private facilities. Big whoop. Their parents (one a nurse practitioner) have raised no objections.

      It is especially hilarious to get all this helpful advice from people who have been vaccinated and thus have no reason to worry about anything. Are the masks really effective? My daughter in law (not the NP) is convinced that is why the kids in her daughter’s class stayed well. I have no idea. I’m glad the CDC at least understands that inside is different than outside (but it has for a while.)

      Whine a bit more about CO2 and they will sign you up for the Climate Catastrophe Team. It’s something we breathe in constantly and not seeing reports of kids showing up in emergency departments with CO2 poisoning. If we wore masks and got more than the “safe” level, maybe that safe level is ridiculously low. This is really getting just dumb.

      Go ahead, Kerry, pull some dough out of the fridge or even some chicken, leave it out on the counter a few hours and scarf it down raw. That truly CAN get you a trip to the emergency department.

      1. vicnicholls Avatar
        vicnicholls

        I’ve never had a problem. Btw, you realize they sell cookie dough specifically as a snack? Little red and blue containers, different types. I’ve never had so much as a sneeze from covid … now other medical problems yes, but not covid.

        1. Stephen Haner Avatar
          Stephen Haner

          Do you understand the word homogenized? Look for it where it says “safe for raw consumption.”

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            you bring up another good point on hominization, GMOs, etc.

            suspicion and conspiracy theories abound…

          2. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Mr. Haner the word you’re looking for it “pasteurization” not homogenization. The latter is the process by which the fat solids are folded into “milk” and thus making the cream no longer separate.

            Pasteurization is the process by which items are sterilized increasing their shelf-life.

          3. Stephen Haner Avatar
            Stephen Haner

            Yikes! Yep, slipped on that one. Brain damage from masks….

          4. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Naw, easy enough mistake.

    2. R. Kooi Avatar

      Masks have always been single use, short term items.

      Compared to 627,000 deaths and climbing, millions suffered with the disease and many with lasting illnesses/ailments… and YOU talk aboute “the public health establishment” and the “media” as if they are from some other world, with totally different values from YOU.

      There is nothing Jolly about it.

      You are just ideologically driven to ignore your patriotic duty and your civic duty to help your fellow human being.

      My brother WORKED DAMN HARD to gasp for breath for 2 1/2 months

  4. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    I dunno about the “science” on kissing dogs but, even Kerry should be able to observe where dogs often lick, and then you’d kiss it. Come to think of it, I don’t think you need “science” to see and understand this. or shouldn’t …but now I’m starting to understand that logic a little better!

    Smooching dog feces, who knew? 😉 ugh

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      With cats it is where the put their feet….

      This is so tiresome. July 2021 and we’re having the same arguments among the same people with the same debating points as in April or May of last year. Listen up, GOP. If you are defending this indefensible position in October, if schools are open and functioning and you are whining about masks on ten-year-old’s, well, do what you did before, get the result you got before…as far as I can tell, most parents are okay with this, certainly to get the classes in person.

      My message to the other side is, if you close the schools, again, or whine about them being open, you lose. As the deadline approaches, the silence from many school boards is deafening.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Hard to figure you out Steve, at times…. I know, I’m “obtuse”…

      2. DJRippert Avatar
        DJRippert

        There were 21 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Fairfax County yesterday. The 7-day moving average is 12 per day. There were no deaths and the 7-day moving average for COVID-19 deaths is zero.

        When do you take the masks off?

        At some point (possibly now) COVID is less of a problem than the seasonal flu.

        There has to be an end to this.

  5. The latest CDC finding states that providing funding for CCP bio experiments are hazardous to the human race…. a committee has been formed with the UN to determine if such funding should be stopped or merely diminished.

  6. Maria Paluzsay Avatar
    Maria Paluzsay

    Going off on tangents are we? Back to the important element – the health of our kids. I can tell you that the kid who wore a mask all day without breaks (don’t get me started on that principal) came home and crashed, exhausted. Her usual concentration levels remained low, even for subjects she cares about and for her own projects. Yet the other kid, in a school with a principal that did her best to get the kids outside and maskless often throughout the day, did not have these afterschool effects, even though he’s the one I expect to crash. The CDC needs to stop playing God and go back to fighting MRSA.

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