A cartoon picture of face mask. (PHOTO:VCG)

By Staff Reporters

Myth: Long-term mask use will cause growth of lung nodules.

Truth: Proper use will not cause damage to lungs.

Currently, with the ongoing threat of COVID-19, wearing of face masks has become the daily norm. Fear mongering of this part of life filtered in to social media recently, when a post claimed that long-term mask wearing will cause lung nodules to grow, since the melt blown fabric of the mask is a petroleum product and the micro particles will enter human lungs through the respiratory tract.

When this was put to Qian Xiaoming, a professor at the School of Textile Science and Engineering at Tiangong University, he told Science and Technology Daily that wearing a mask properly will not produce microscopic particles, let alone allow the particles to enter the lungs.

"In addition to textile materials such as cotton, wool, hemp, silk and regenerated cellulose fibers, many synthetic fibers, including melt blown cloth, are made from petroleum-based materials," said Qian, adding that polypropylene is a major petroleum-based material with a wide range of applications. The melt blown cloth that plays a key filtering role in masks, is a microfiber nonwoven material made of polypropylene polymer materials."

He went on to say that melt blown cloth has good filtration and shielding, and it is impossible to produce small molecules within the normal use time frame.Polypropylene material, which is not resistant to ultraviolet light, will become more brittle and weaker after being exposed to a long period of sunlight, and under external forces, such as twisting and rubbing by hand, it may become powder particles.

However, Qian stressed that such powder particles are in the form of large particles, which are difficult to be inhaled into the lungs. "The melt blown cloth masks will not produce micronized particles as long as they are not exposed to the sun while not exceeding the use period. It is usually no problem to store it in a dark place for two years," he added.