Organic Slant

  • Home
  • Shop
  • About
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • Cartoons
  • Music
  • Links
  • Cancer
  • Environment
  • GMO’s
  • Health
  • Monsanto
  • Organic Foods
  • Super Foods
  • Fukushima
You are here: Home / Health / Cloth masks: Dangerous to your health?

Cloth masks: Dangerous to your health?

May 25, 2020 by Captain Organic Planet

The widespread use of cloth masks by healthcare workers may actually put them at increased risk of respiratory illness and viral infections and their global use should be discouraged, according to a UNSW study.

The results of the first randomized clinical trial (RCT) to study the efficacy of cloth masks were published in the journal BMJ Open.

The trial saw 1607 hospital healthcare workers across 14 hospitals in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, split into three groups: those wearing medical masks, those wearing cloth masks and a control group based on usual practice, which included mask wearing.

Workers used the mask on every shift for four consecutive weeks.

The study found respiratory infection was much higher among healthcare workers wearing cloth masks.

The penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% compared to medical masks with 44%.

Professor Raina MacIntyre, lead study author and head of UNSW’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine, said the results of the study caution against the use of cloth masks.

“Masks are worn to protect from infection during pandemics and outbreaks, especially when there are no drugs or vaccines available for protection,” Professor MacIntyre said.

“Masks are especially important for frontline doctors and nurses, as their protection from infection is key to maintaining the ability to tackle a pandemic effectively.

“We should be cautious about cloth mask use in healthcare settings, particularly high-risk situations such as emergency departments, intensive care, paediatric or respiratory wards.”

Cloth masks remain widely used globally because they are a cheaper option especially in areas where there are shortages of protective equipment, including in Asian countries, which have historically been affected by emerging infectious diseases, as well as in West Africa, which was the epicentre of the recent Ebola epidemic.

The authors speculate that the cloth masks’ moisture retention, their reuse and poor filtration may explain the increased risk of infection.

Professor MacIntyre, who has completed the largest body of clincial trial research on respiratory protection in health workers internationally, said emerging infectious diseases are not constrained within geographical borders.

“Effective controls of outbreaks and pandemics at the origin impacts us directly, so it is important for global disease control that the use of cloth masks be discouraged in high-risk situations,” she said.

“Despite more than half the world using cloth masks, global disease control guidelines, including those from the World Health Organisation, fail to clearly specify conditions of their use.

“These guidelines need to be updated to reflect the higher infection risk posed by cloth masks, as found in our study.”

Professor MacIntyre said the study’s results pointed to the effectiveness of medical masks, in addition to the harm caused by cloth masks.

“Additional research is urgently needed to build on our study’s findings.”

The trial was a collaboration between researchers in Australia and the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Vietnam and was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant.

A separate expert review by Professor MacIntyre published in the British Medical Journal earlier this month found that the lack of research on facemasks and respirators is reflected in varied and sometimes conflicting global policies and guidelines.

Related Posts

  • Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products
  • Possible correlation shown between TMI nuclear accident and thyroid cancers
  • Researchers identify antibodies that may make coronavirus vaccines unnecessary
  • People who practice intermittent fasting experience less severe complications from COVID-19

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: cloth mask, coronavirus, coronavirus mask, cotton, health, healthcare workers, mask, masks, respiratory infection, viral infections, virus

Article Sources

  • https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/health/cloth-masks-%e2%80%93-dangerous-your-health
  • C. R. MacIntyre, H. Seale, T. C. Dung, N. T. Hien, P. T. Nga, A. A. Chughtai, B. Rahman, D. E. Dwyer, Q. Wang. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ Open, 2015; 5 (4): e006577 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006577

About Captain Organic Planet

C.O.P. (Captain Organic Planet) is on a mission to inform anyone with an open mind that our food is far from natural; it is synthetic and fake. I believe our food supply is contributing to most of our diseases. The sad thing is it doesn't end there. Everywhere around us are dangers; in our household, in our water, and in your shampoo. Every aspect of your life is contributing to your health, wellness, sickness and disease. Challenge Conventional Culture. Live Life With An Organic Slant. L.iving O.rganically V.ibrates E.nergy

VIDEOS

View All Videos

Popular

Is Towpath Trail At Cleveland Ohio Steelyard Commons Radioactive From Manhattan Project?

July 27, 2012 By Captain Organic Planet Filed Under: Cancer, Nuclear

14-Year Old Anti-GMO Activist Agitates Monsanto Schill, Kevin O’Leary

November 20, 2013 By Captain Organic Planet Filed Under: GMO's

Vegans At Increased Risk Of Developing Blood Clots And Atherosclerosis

January 5, 2017 By Captain Organic Planet Filed Under: Health

Follow Organic Slant

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Organic Slant
Tweets by organicslant

Organic Slant

  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • links
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
All Rights Reserved 2018

Organic Slant LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • Cartoons
  • Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Advertise
  • Media
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

· Organic Slant All Rights Reserved © 2025 ·