Physiological Effects of Wearing Surgical or N95 Masks Are Mild and Reverse Immediately Upon Removal

Article title: Comparison of mild physiological effects of surgical masks and N95 respirators over 60 minutes at rest

Authors: Valerie C. Cates, Anthony L. Marullo, Rodion Isakovich, Jordan D. Bird, Jamie L. Keess, Kyle C. Ricord, Katrina M. Leslie, Amanda A. Janssens, Rajan Bhardwaj, Trevor A. Day

From the authors: “These barriers carry little-to-no risk to wearers aside from transient discomfort, with our data demonstrating that the physiological effects are mild, wash out immediately following removal, and are approximately equivalent between surgical masks and N95 respirators.”

This study is highlighted as one of July’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society's APSselect program.