"New study finds extended use of ‘best’ COVID masks may cause cancer, liver damage"

"As some institutions in the United States begin to reimpose COVID-19 mask mandates, a new study suggests that the types of masks billed as most effective may actually contain dangerous and potentially even cancer-inducing chemicals.

The Daily Mail reports that according to a study by researchers from South Korea’s Jeonbuk National University, published in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety and on the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) website, KFAD and KF94 disposable masks release eight times the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended safety limit of toxic volatile organic compounds (TVOCs).

TVOCs are linked to headaches, breathing difficulty, and nausea, and with sufficiently-prolonged exposure even nerve system and liver damage as well as cancer.

KFAD and KF94 masks are the dominant equivalent of KN95s in South Korea, filtering out just one percent fewer particles than the surgical masks preferred in the United States, which raises the possibility of the same masks carrying the same danger. All three are made from polypropylene.

The NIH website contains a disclaimer that it does not necessarily endorse studies it publishes, and New York internal medicine physician Dr. Stuart Fischer cautioned that firm conclusions would be premature, but said 'there seems to be diminishing returns on the need for masks,' and it was 'indeed possible that certain masks have side effects, just as certain helpful medications (anti-histamines, psychotropic drugs, antibiotics) have side effects.'...

In recent days, some schools, hospitals, and businesses have resumed mask mandates, citing rising cases from the EG.5 COVID variant."