Social media users are sharing an article claiming that long-lasting masked wear “hatches microbes that infiltrate the lungs and contribute to advanced lung cancer”. As alleged evidence, the article refers to a study in which no mask was worn, and does not make this claim. The authors of the study say that there is no scientific evidence to support the article’s misinterpretation of their actual results.
The article (here) was published by Natural News, a website that, according to reports by Vox (here) and McGill University’s Office of Science and Society (here), is known for spreading conspiracy theories and false health information. In May 2020, the website was banned by Facebook because it violated its “community standards on spam” (here).
A Facebook post with a screenshot of the article and its text can be seen here.
In support of the claim that “masks prepare the lungs for inflammation and lung cancer pathology”, the article refers to a study published in February 2021 in the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) journal Cancer Discovery that can be seen here.
However, this study does not mention wearing a mask. According to the AACR here, the study found that “enrichment of the lungs with oral commensal microbes is associated with advanced-stage disease, poorer prognosis, and tumor progression in patients with lung cancer.”
Two of the study’s authors told Reuters that their study did not wear masks, and that “there is currently no scientific evidence for this misinterpretation of our results.”
Dr. James Tsay (here), assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Reuters in an email that the patients were recruited years before the pandemic, “between 2013-2018.” Tsay said that “since mask wear was not common during our study period, it is highly unlikely that it is one of the reasons contributing to our findings.”
Another author of the study, dr. Leopoldo N. Segal, assistant professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine (here), told Reuters in an email: ‘There is no scientific basis to suspect that wearing a mask will increase the amount not. of oral bacteria reaching the lungs. ”
Segal explained that “the mouth and oropharynx are the main source of these bacteria in the lung [the part of the pharynx that is behind the mouth] self. The amount of these oral microbes depends on oral hygiene and food intake. Generally “they will be in every mouth’s oral cavity.”
The authors of the study told Reuters that they “have very different hypotheses as to why level (s) of these microbes can be detected in the lung”, such as “a quest for our own oral secretions” or a “reduced ability to to clean it up. ”
Other experts contacted by Reuters agree.
Dr Alison Morris, head of the division of lung, allergy and critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (here), told Reuters by email: no studies wearing mask. changes in the oral microbiome “and the fact that there is no data that masks can show makes the microbes more likely to end up in the lung.” She said that “one could argue that masks can reduce the risk of cancer because it is more difficult for people to smoke.”
Dr William Nelson, director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Johns Hopkins (here), also said that the bacteria referred to in the study normally occur in the oropharynx (here). “The best strategy for preventing lung cancer remains smoking cessation,” he added.
Reuters previously claimed that wearing masks could cause cancer due to a lack of oxygen (here). Reuters also denies claims that incorrectly linked the use of masks to other serious diseases such as pleurisy, fungal infections and hypercapnia, which are visible here, here, here, here and here.
Health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend the use of face masks as one of several protective measures that help slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (here, here).
VERDICT
Untrue. Misleading article misinterprets the results of a study on an increased presence of oral commensal microbes in the lungs and lung cancer and does not include wearing a mask. Authors of the study, who were contacted by Reuters, said there was no scientific evidence to suggest that masks would increase the amount of oral bacteria that reach the lungs.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work here to check out social media posts.