Face masks do not cause overexposure to carbon dioxide, study says
Houston: Face masks are unlikely to cause over-exposure to carbon dioxide, even in patients with lung disease, according to a new study which contradicts statements linking mask-wearing to poisoning by the exhaled gas.
As several governments across the world have made it mandatory to wear face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers, including those from the University of Miami in the US, noted that some people were discouraging its use, claiming it may be a health risk.
The study, published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, assessed problems associated with changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in healthy individuals, as well as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before and while using surgical masks.
According to the scientists, people with COPD, "must work harder to breathe, which can lead to shortness of breath and/or feeling tired."
"We show that the effects are minimal at most even in people with very severe lung impairment," said study co-author Michael Campos from the University of Miami.
As for the feeling of breathlessness that some healthy people may experience, Campos said, dyspnea -- or the feeling of shortness of breath -- felt by some while wearing masks is not synonymous of alterations in gas exchange.
"It likely occurs from restriction of air flow with the mask in particular when higher ventilation is needed (on exertion)," he explained.
"If you're walking briskly up an incline, for example, you may experience feelings of breathlessness. An overly tight mask may also increase the feeling of breathlessness," the scientists noted in a statement.
They said the solution is to slow down or remove the mask if one is at a safe distance from other people. Campos stressed the importance of wearing a face mask to prevent COVID-19 infection.
If a surgical mask is not available, the researchers said a cloth mask with at least two layers is recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
They said patients with lung disease, in particular, should avoid getting infected and should wear a face mask, which, along with handwashing and social distancing can reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
"We acknowledge that our observations may be limited by sample size, however our population offers a clear signal on the nil effect of surgical masks on relevant physiological changes in gas exchange under routine circumstances (prolonged rest, brief walking)," the scientists wrote in the study.
They believe it is important to inform the public that the discomfort associated with mask use should not lead to unsubstantiated safety concerns as this may attenuate the application of a practice proven to improve public health.
"The public should not believe that masks kill," Campos added.
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Media dinner shooting suspect wrote about targeting of administration officials, Trump says
Washington (AP): The man accused of trying to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives had written about targeting Trump administration officials, and his family raised concerns with law enforcement before the event, President Donald Trump said Sunday in an interview on Fox News Channel.
The accused gunman's family had alerted police in Connecticut, Trump said, revealing new details about a chaotic encounter that disrupted one of Washington's glitziest annual events the night before.
The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was expected to face criminal charges on Monday from the Justice Department, whose acting leader, Todd Blanche, said the suspect travelled by train from California and checked in as a guest days earlier at the Washington hotel where the Saturday night gala dinner was held with its typically tight security.
Law enforcement officials who have interviewed Allen's relatives, examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner.
He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a violent scene that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the two firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Authorities believe the suspect fired the shot that hit the Secret Service officer, who is expected to make a full recovery, Blanche said.
“He's going to be great, he's going to be fine, and thank God he was wearing a bulletproof vest,” Blanche said Sunday on ABC's “This Week.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump.
The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realised something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
Trump was unusually conciliatory after what he saw as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.
“It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” Trump told reporters in a hastily organised news conference at the White House late Saturday.
