THEY'RE
THEY'RE ITCHY, SWEATY AND USUALLY NOT PRETTY BUT SCIENCE SHOWS THESE FACE MASKS ARE ONE
OF THE BEST WAYS TO SLOW THE
SPREAD OF COVE AT 19. NOW
DESPITE THE FACT WE'VE BEEN
SEEING VARYING CLAIMS ON SOCIAL
MEDIA SUGGESTING THEY'RE
DANGEROUS. PEOPLE SAY MASKS
STOP THEM FROM GETTING ENOUGH
OXYGEN OR EVEN CAUSE THEM TO
BREATHE IN TOO MUCH CARBON
DIOXIDE. SO TONIGHT A RICH VAN
WYCK SET OUT TO SEPARATE HARD
TRUTH FROM HOT AIR.
AMONG THE
MANY ARGUMENTS AGAINST WEARING
FACE MASKS. I THINK WE'RE NOT
GETTING ENOUGH OXYGEN WHEN
WE'RE CONSTANTLY BREATHING AND
WE'RE EXHALING. HOW CAN THAT BE
TRUE ON PAPER AND CLOTH SOMEHOW
DEPRIVING OUR BODIES
OF ESSENTIAL OXYGEN AND CAUSING
CARBON DIOXIDE TO REACH
DANGEROUSLY HIGH LEVELS? TO GET
SOME ANSWERS WE GRABBED A
HANDFUL OF FACE MASKS AND
BROUGHT THEM TO THE RESPIRATORY
DERRER CLINIC. TARA NEWBY
PUTTING THIS A RESPIRATORY
THERAPIST AGREED TO HELP US OUT
A SMOKER. IT WON'T HURT. IT
WILL NOT. THIS SENSOR MEASURES
THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN IN MY
BLOOD. IT'S THOSE FUNNY LOOKING
TUBING HELPS MEASURE THE AMOUNT
OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN MY LUNGS.
THAT'S PLEASANT. FIRST WE CHECK
THE NUMBERS WHEN I'M MARSALIS.
NINETY NINE PERCENT OXYGEN.
YOU'VE GOT A HEART. I'VE GOT
HEART AND IT'S WORKING WELL.
CARBON DIOXIDE REGISTERS 36 36.
IS THAT NORMAL? GOOD. BAD.
NORMAL. IT'S 35 TO 45. SO YES,
YOU'RE NORMAL ON WITH THE
EXPERIMENT MASK. NO ONE STATE
OR DISPOSABLE FACE MASKS JUST
LIKE YOU GUYS WEAR. YEAH.
THIRTY SECONDS LATER OXYGEN IS
STILL NINETY NINE PERCENT
CARBON DIOXIDE NUDGED UP A
POINT MASK. NUMBER TWO THIS IS
OFF THE DRUGSTORE SHELF BLOOD
OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE
LEVELS ARE STILL NORMAL.
ANOTHER MAN'S NEBRASKA NUMBER
THREE AND ANOTHER SET
OF NUMBERS. CARBON DIOXIDE
HASN'T CHANGED THE AMOUNT
OF OXYGEN IN MY BLOOD. ACTUALLY
IT JUST WENT TO SO HE IMPROVED
A LITTLE BIT. YES, SO LET'S ADD
ANOTHER MASK. THE FOURTH ONE IN
OUR LITTLE EXPERIMENT AND IT'S
STARTING TO FEEL LIKE I'M NOT
GETTING AS MUCH AIR AS IT WAS
GETTING BEFORE. BUT THE NUMBERS
ARE STILL WELL WITHIN THE
NORMAL RANGES. I'M FINE. I'M
RUNNING OUT OF YEARS TO PUT
THIS HIGHER MASS NUMBER FIVE
WILL TAKE US TO THE FINISH
LINE. I WILL ADMIT THIS IS
UNCOMFORTABLE. IT FEELS LIKE
SOMEBODY'S GOT TO HAND OVER MY
FACE BUT THE NUMBERS MAKE ME
FEEL BETTER IN THE MASS
SHOOTING SPREE IN CARBON
DIOXIDE PEAKED AT 42 POINTS
THEN DROPPED TO THIRTY NINE.
WHERE ARE WE WITH OXYGEN OVER
HERE. NINETY EIGHT PERCENT
NINETY EIGHT PERCENT NINETY
NINE PERCENT. THERE IS JUST AS
MUCH OXYGEN IN MY BLOOD AND
ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE CARBON
DIOXIDE IN MY LUNGS THAN WHEN I
WAS BREATHING WITHOUT A MASK
FIVE MASS ON MY FACE FIVE TIMES
THE AMOUNT OF CLOTH AND PAPER A
NORMAL MASK WHERE IT HAS TO
BREATHE THROUGH GET MY OXYGEN.
NINETY NINE PERCENT COMPLETELY
NORMAL. AND OVER HERE CARBON
DIOXIDE 41 NORMAL AGAIN. DR.
GABRIEL BACHELET, A PULMONARY
AND CRITICAL CARE SPECIALIST
ISN'T SURPRISED. I MEAN OUR
EXPERIMENT SHOWED THAT A NORMAL
PERSON WITH NORMAL LUNG
FUNCTION COULD LITERALLY WEAR
FIVE MASKS AND GO AROUND ALL
DAY LONG. BACHELET ADMITS HE
HATES WEARING A MASK. HE TREATS
PATIENTS WHO FIND THEM
SUFFOCATING AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC.
HIS PRESCRIPTION IS BOTH SIMPLE
AND DIFFICULT. SLOW YOURSELF
DOWN, SIT DOWN, TAKE SOME DEEP
BREATHS AND JUST REPEAT
YOURSELF THAT EVERYTHING'S OK.
FOR SOME, SLIPPING A MASK OVER
THEIR FACE TAKES THE PERSONAL
STRENGTH TO PUT