Smokers would have more risks related to their tobacco consumption when they wear a mask.
- On July 8, the bar of 150,000 deaths due to Covid-19 was crossed, after two years of epidemic.
- 27% of smokers would have increased their tobacco consumption at the end of March 2020.
In France, 13.5 million people smoke daily, according to national tobacco control plan. Since 2020, all smokers have had to wear the surgical mask or FFP2 to protect themselves and others from Covid-19. A practice that could be harmful for cigarette consumers. According to a study published in the journal European Journal of Preventive Cardiologywearing a mask would amplify the ravages of tobacco on the body.
“The study suggests that smoking any tobacco product has become even more dangerous during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the need to wear a mask for long hours. Previous research has shown that a vascular function impaired is linked to heart problems and premature death”explains Ignatios Ikonomidis, lead author of the study.
More exhaled carbon monoxide from smokers
Scientists estimate that wearing the mask would double exhaled carbon monoxide and would also be very harmful to blood vessels. This applies to both traditional and non-combustible cigarettes, i.e. small cigarette-shaped devices that heat the tobacco without burning it, which is supposed to be less harmful.
To arrive at this result, the scientists analyzed data from 40 smokers of conventional cigarettes, 40 users of burnt tobacco devices and 40 non-smokers. They were on average 45 years old and 72% of them were women. The researchers found that carbon monoxide exhaled by non-smokers did not change with or without a mask. In contrast, among conventional cigarette smokers, exhaled carbon monoxide after deep breathing increased from 8.00 parts per million (ppm) at baseline to 12.15 without a mask and 17.45 ppm with a mask.
Effects on blood vessels
Finally, the authors also noted an increase in blood markers in all smokers. “Compared to smokers of combustible cigarettes, users of non-combustible cigarettes had lower baseline carbon monoxide levels and smaller increases in vascular damage when wearing a mask. Nevertheless, the results show that smoking any product smoking while wearing a mask may alter blood vessel function compared to mask-free periods, at least in part due to greater rebreathing of carbon monoxide and/or nicotine-rich vapors.”emphasizes Ignatios Ikonomidis.
Towards a return to wearing a mask?
Currently, there is a resumption of the coronavirus epidemic. On July 7, more than 161,265 new cases were detected in 24 hours. Thus, the Minister of Health, François Braun, recommended that the French wear the mask in very busy places, such as transport. “We have decided to demand the responsibility of our fellow citizens more than constraint. We are in the 7th wave, there will be an 8th, a 9th: we must learn to live with this virus with the right gestures”, he said at the microphone of France Inter.
