Fighting Seasonal Allergies With That Covid Mask

[dalton99a]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/-seasonal-allergies-covid-mask-11648479770

Fighting Seasonal Allergies With That Covid Mask
The decision to wear a mask even when Covid-19 cases are low is generating some questions and looks, but many allergists support it
By Jim Carlton
March 29, 2022 9:00 am ET

Many of the country’s last remaining mask mandates end this month. One group says they’ll keep wearing them indefinitely: people with bad allergies.

Regular mask-wearing, at least outdoors, is supported by many allergists, who say both research and their own experience has them recommending masks when pollen levels are high. In one 2020 study in Israel, 42% of 215 nurses reported less sneezing and other moderate symptoms of seasonal allergies after wearing surgical and N95 masks for one week each.

“On windy days, if you have to stay outside, wear a mask,” allergist Dr. Sunil Perera counsels patients of his practice in the suburbs of Sacramento, Calif. “It’s cheap, and you don’t have to buy a prescription.”

Dr. Gregg M. Santilli, an allergist in Plano, Texas, said almost any mask used to combat Covid will catch particles of pollen that measure an average 30 to 40 microns — much larger than the coronavirus at under 10. He also advises his patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to mask up outside during allergy season, which he said covers about eight months a year in his area.

[Blues Heron]

1. masks have been a godsend for me as far as allergies go

the ability to walk around in a mask and not be looked at as a total freak(most of the time cough cough lol) is great.

[helpisontheway]

2. My husband was working out in the yard with his mask yesterday

Neighbors looked at him like he had three heads. His allergies are awful. We live in an area with a ton of trees. He washed his suv and it was instantly covered with pollen again..

[GPV]

3. Not helpful for dust or mold, tho, since I don't sleep in mine.

[Laurelin]

4. I'm wearing a mask outside

It does seem to help.