The influence of N95 and surgical masks on carbon dioxide levels: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis
Our findings indicate that N95 masks lead to higher CO<sub>2</sub> accumulation during various activities compared to surgical masks. Moreover, surgical masks exhibit higher CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations during low activity compared to moderate and high activities. Notably, CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations are higher in N95 masks without an exhalation valve compared to those with a valve. No significant difference was observed between not wearing a mask and wearing either N95 or surgical masks in terms of CO<sub>2</sub> accumulation. These results provide important insights for mask selection and usage recommendations in different scenarios.
Authors
- Kazem Naddafi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0671-0401)
- Sadegh Niazi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8150-2106)
- Mansour Shamsipour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8037-1447)
- Sasan Faridi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8855-8337)
- Mohammad Sadegh Hassanvand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2916-5370)
- Mohammad Khanizadeh
- Parviz Barari
- Mahdi Nassri
Institutions
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Heliyon
- Published
- 2024-08-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36626
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Infection Control and Ventilation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.42