Can you pass out from wearing a mask for too long?

Lincoln Park Mask Crash

This crash in Lincoln Park was believed to have resulted from the driver wearing an N95 mask for several hours and subsequently passing out behind the wheel, police say.Lincoln Park Police

When a driver told police in Lincoln Park he’d been wearing an N95 mask for too long and passed out, causing him to crash his SUV into a pole, the investigating officers believed him.

Like many people, the man said he wore the N95 mask to protect himself from the novel coronavirus.

“The driver, who was not severely injured, was the only person in car and passed out due to ‘insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake,’” police said in a Facebook post.

The post had received nearly 500 comments by Saturday afternoon with many doubting a mask can cause someone to pass out.

But can a person lose consciousness from wearing a mask for too long? Some doctors say it can happen.

“It would depend on the mask model and personal risk factors but it is possible,” Dr. Stavros G. Christoudias, a surgeon in Teaneck, told NJ Advance Media.

“It would also depend on the person wearing the mask,” he said. “They could have a host of factors making them susceptible as well, like obesity, smoking, emphysema, COPD, etc.”

Christoudias pointed out that passing out while wearing a mask would not be from lack of oxygen but from an excess buildup of carbon dioxide.

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In fact, a study reported in 2005 by the U.S. National Library of Medicine concluded that “dizziness, headache and shortness of breath are commonly experienced by the medical staff wearing N95 masks.”

The N95 mask might also hamper correct decision making, too, the two-year study found.

Some medical professionals disagree, however, saying N95 masks do much more good than harm.

“I've never heard of this being an issue with wearing an N95 mask for a long time,” said Aline M. Holmes, an associate professor at Rutgers University School of Nursing.

“Remember, medical and nursing staff in New York, New Jersey and other parts of the country are wearing them for many hours, sometimes for 24 hours, and this is not an issue being reported among those folks.”

Lincoln Park police later update the Facebook post, stating: “It is certainly possible that some other medical reason could’ve contributed to the driver passing out. We are not trying to cause public alarm or suggest wearing an N95 mask is unsafe.”

N95 masks

N95 masks used by health care professionals are in short supply because of the coronavirus pandemic.Beaumont Health

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com.

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