Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Str. 35, 85354 Freising, Germany.
Institute for Breath Research, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck, Innrain 66, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
J Breath Res. 2023 Aug 7;17(4). doi: 10.1088/1752-7163/acdf12.
In this perspective, we review the evidence for the efficacy of face masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses, specifically severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and consider the value of mandating universal mask wearing against the widespread negative impacts that have been associated with such measures. Before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was considered that there was little to no benefit in healthy people wearing masks as prophylaxis against becoming infected or as unwitting vectors of viral transmission. This accepted policy was hastily reversed early on in the pandemic, when districts and countries throughout the world imposed stringent masking mandates. Now, more than three years since the start of the pandemic, the amassed studies that have investigated the use of masks to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (or other pathogens) have led to conclusions that are largely inconsistent and contradictory. There is no statistically significant or unambiguous scientific evidence to justify mandatory masking for general, healthy populations with the intention of lessening the viral spread. Even if mask wearing could potentially reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in individual cases, this needs to be balanced against the physical, psychological and social harms associated with forced mask wearing, not to mention the negative impact of innumerable disposed masks entering our fragile environment. Given the lack of unequivocal scientific proof that masks have any effect on reducing transmission, together with the evident harms to people and the environment through the use of masks, it is our opinion that the mandatory use of face masks in the general population is unjustifiable and must be abandoned in future pandemic countermeasures policies.
在这篇观点文章中，我们回顾了口罩在减少呼吸道病毒传播方面的有效性证据，特别是针对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2），并考虑了强制全民佩戴口罩的价值，同时也考虑了这种措施可能带来的广泛负面影响。在 SARS-CoV-2 大流行之前，人们认为健康人佩戴口罩作为预防感染或成为病毒传播的无意识载体几乎没有益处。这种被广泛接受的政策在大流行早期就被仓促推翻，当时世界各地的地区和国家都实施了严格的口罩强制令。现在，自大流行开始已经过去了三年多，针对口罩在减少 SARS-CoV-2（或其他病原体）传播方面的应用进行的大量研究得出的结论大相径庭，相互矛盾。没有统计学上显著或明确的科学证据表明，为了减少病毒传播，对一般健康人群强制佩戴口罩是合理的。即使佩戴口罩在个别情况下可能会减少 SARS-CoV-2 的传播，但这需要与强制佩戴口罩所带来的身体、心理和社会危害相平衡，更不用说大量废弃口罩对我们脆弱环境的负面影响了。考虑到没有明确的科学证据表明口罩在减少传播方面有任何效果，再加上使用口罩对人和环境造成的明显危害，我们认为在未来的大流行应对政策中，强制一般人群使用口罩是不合理的，必须予以摒弃。
