Department of General Surgery and Transplantation, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
Independent Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 30;20(3):2474. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032474.
Due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, the wearing of masks has become a common phenomenon. Most of the undesirable effects of using a protective face covering are usually related to the prolonged time of its wearing, and the adverse consequences of face coverings should be considered two-fold. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of contamination of the three types of face coverings (surgical, N95, and FFP2 masks) with the microorganism-aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and molds-after the 3 h exposure time. The study aimed to investigate the effects of wearing FFP2 masks (KN95) on respiratory function and the acid-base balance of the human body.
The presence of was confirmed in both nasal carriers and non-carriers which may demonstrate the cross-contamination and spread of this bacterium via hands. was found on external and internal surfaces of face masks of each type, and therefore could also be transmitted via hands from external sources. The 3 h exposure time is not sufficient for Gram-negative rods and mold contamination. Moreover, there were no significant differences in most of the parameters studied between the first and second examinations, both in spirometry and capillary blood gas analysis ( > 0.05).
由于 SARS-CoV-2 冠状病毒大流行，戴口罩已成为一种常见现象。使用防护面罩的大多数不良影响通常与长时间佩戴面罩有关，应从两方面考虑面罩的不良后果。本研究旨在评估在 3 小时暴露时间后，三种类型的口罩（医用口罩、N95 口罩和 FFP2 口罩）被微生物需氧菌、酵母菌和霉菌污染的速度。本研究旨在调查佩戴 FFP2 口罩（KN95）对人体呼吸功能和酸碱平衡的影响。
无论是在鼻腔携带者还是非携带者中都证实了 的存在，这可能表明该细菌通过手交叉污染和传播。在每种类型的口罩的内外表面都发现了 ，因此也可以通过手从外部来源传播。3 小时的暴露时间不足以导致革兰氏阴性菌和霉菌污染。此外，在第一次和第二次检查之间，大多数研究参数在肺活量测定和毛细血管血气分析中均无显著差异（>0.05）。
