Masks were unethical by design

Masking remains an issue hotly debated at school board meetings around the globe. In Ontario, Canada, on November 24th, 2022, a district-wide mask mandate was narrowly avoided by a 6-6 vote. While parents were relieved, it was too close for comfort.

It begs repeating, and with great emphasis, that every mask you have ever seen on a child is unregulated, untested, and unsafe, with zero efficacy, fit, term of wear, or medical clearance standards. Zero. …

In the instance of masks, children are in something for 8-12 hours per day that is not approved for extended wear even in adults. Adults must undergo exhaustive medical clearance and extensive fit testing before donning hazard-specific, Industrial Hygienist-prescribed kit under specific terms of wear. Workplace respiratory protection programs necessitate filtered supplemental air to account for respiratory interferences from extended periods of restricted breathing.

Other hazards, such as inhalation of loose fibers and exposure to the vast microbial accumulation found on masks are other considerations given in respiratory protection evaluations. Over time, masks become a living medium in a warm, moist environment. While dentists and surgeons do wear masks to prevent splatter and spray from entering oral and nasal mucosa, they do not keep wearing them all day, breathing in disgusting microbial souvenirs. They most certainly do not wear surgical masks for mitigation of airborne pathogens – unless they want to be exposed.