Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

A doctor in Dublin, Ireland, has gotten so many misinformed patients asking him if a face mask lowers a wearer’s oxygen levels that he decided to make his answer easy to understand and to make it public.

On July 14, Dr. Maitiu O Tuathail, whose Twitter profile states he is a general practitioner, posted a 70-second video standing next to a machine that measures oxygen saturation levels in the blood. With a monitor clip over his index finger, Tuathail is seen putting on a disposable medical mask. Then another one. And another. At the end of the clip, the doctor is standing with 6 masks on his face, while the numbers in the display remain steady and near-perfect — the oxygen saturation level fluctuates slightly between 98 and 99 percent.

Let’s hope this brings the whole debate surrounding face masks and their efficiency to an end. Or at least closer to it.

Dr. Maitiu O Tuathail said he’s met a lot of people who were misinformed about face masks

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

So he decided to debunk one of the most popular myths surrounding them

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

And posted this video

Image credits: Storyful Rights Management

Face masks are recommended, if not required, in public settings throughout many places around the world to protect wearers from contracting or spreading the novel coronavirus. Because they work.

A recent analysis of coronavirus outbreaks in 42 countries found that countries where mask wearing was common, like China and Japan, saw more modest outbreaks compared with nations that weren’t accustomed to the practice. “We believe broader mask use is key to control the pandemic,” the researchers wrote.

Bill Nye the Science Guy also turned to social media to demonstrate why face masks are important

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: Bill Nye

@billnye ##WearAMask ##LearnOnTikTok ##TikTokPartner

♬ original sound – billnye

They even added this rhetorical question: “Is it not better to adopt a possibly imperfect protective measure, rather than waiting for more evidence at the expense of human lives?”

A model from the University of Washington predicted that the US could prevent as many as 33,000 coronavirus deaths by October if 95% of the population wore face masks in public.

Dr. Tuathail’s clip even started an interesting discussion

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DRaburski

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: fhayesmccoy

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: DrZeroCraic

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: AoifeTDoyle

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: A_Guy_on_Here

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: gabberghoul

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: Starynitesxxx

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: EveJukes

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: naomiconcas

Doctor Puts On 6 Masks And Hooks Himself To An Oxygen Meter To Prove Anti-Maskers Are Talking Nonsense

Image credits: deirdrefeehily

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

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I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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What do you think ?

POST

Deborah Brett 4 years ago

It's not that you aren't getting enough oxygen. It's because it feels uncomfortable and stuffy, and a little claustrophobic Suck it up, buttercup, and put on your fricking mask.

33points

Louloubelle 4 years ago

And the heat factor also makes it uncomfortable.

4points

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Something 4 years ago

If face masks caused hypoxia, surgeons would never be able to do their job.

32points

Aunt Messy 4 years ago

Or welders, or people who work with clay, or anyone else who has to wear a mask for work - for 8+ hours a day.

22points

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karla Meixnerová 4 years ago

Well, I was running to work for more than 2 months in a mask (It was compulsory to wear mask in public) and I had no problem with that - to be honest, I was out of breath, but I think, that this was caused by my level of fitness :)

16points

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Deborah Brett 4 years ago

It's not that you aren't getting enough oxygen. It's because it feels uncomfortable and stuffy, and a little claustrophobic Suck it up, buttercup, and put on your fricking mask.

33points