This commentary is by Karen Bufka, of St. Johnsbury.

Fear affects us profoundly. Our biology takes over and we go into fight or flight mode. Our ability to engage in nuanced, careful thinking evaporates because our body asks us to choose between two options: stand and fight or run like hell. We are hardwired to do this.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was afraid. Were you? There was so much that was unknown and so many scary possibilities and the media was constantly emphasizing both and I was afraid. Because of this, when the message began that we all needed to wear masks to protect each other, I did it, no questions asked. I wanted to protect people, to help out in whatever way I could. When I look back at that time, I see that because I was afraid, I didn’t do the kind of thinking and research which I normally do for just about anything from what I eat to the car I buy to how I train my dog to pretty much everything — especially everything to do with health.

As time went on, a couple of things happened. I became less afraid. I just could not maintain it. It felt like I would literally short-circuit if I kept up that level of fear. I began to figure out how to relax, how to more sustainably be me in the “new normal.” Then I was lucky enough to meet Amy Hornblas.

Amy is a licensed health educator, the author of the Vermont Mask Survey. When I met her, I didn’t understand what she was talking about, saying that masks restrict breathing and cause harm. What she was saying seemed shocking and weird because I hadn’t heard, or read, anything like it anywhere else. But when she handed me a card with the Survey’s website on it, I took it. Later, I looked at the site. It is really well done; her skill as a licensed health educator is evident. Reading the results of the survey, I realized that I had been experiencing side effects from wearing a mask, too, and ignoring them. The Vermont Mask Survey jump-started my journey of educating myself about the risks, as well as the benefits, of wearing masks.

I was finally engaging in the process which I would normally have done from the very start if I hadn’t been so afraid. After carefully considering what Amy presents in the Vermont Mask Survey, I applied my critical thinking skills to lots of other resources. To do my own experiment, I purchased a CO2 meter and tested under my mask. It took only minutes for the level of CO2 under my mask, regardless of which type of mask I tried, to rise to the meter’s highest reading, the alarm beeping like crazy. Yikes.

Here is a quote Amy shares on her website, from Baruch Vanshelboim, Stanford Cardiology Division:

“Wearing facemasks has been demonstrated to have substantial adverse physiological and psychological effects. These include hypoxia, hypercapnia, shortness of breath, increased acidity and toxicity, activation of fear and stress response, rise in stress hormones, immunosuppression, fatigue, headaches, decline in cognitive performance, predisposition for viral and infectious illnesses, chronic stress, anxiety and depression. Long-term consequences of wearing facemasks can cause health deterioration, developing and progression of chronic diseases and premature death.” (FYI: hypoxia is low oxygen. Hypercapnia is excessive carbon dioxide.)

He is not the only one to say these things. A recent study which systematically reviewed 2,168 scientific studies investigating the effects of wearing masks, concludes:

Face mask side-effects must be assessed (risk-benefit) against the available evidence of their effectiveness against viral transmissions. In the absence of strong empirical evidence of effectiveness, mask wearing should not be mandated let alone enforced by law.

We need to educate ourselves about masks and ensure that leaders in all areas of our society have a thorough understanding of the fact that masks cause harm. There are other options to get the job done. Let’s learn what they are and require our leaders to do the same. Do your homework! VTmasksurvey.com is a great place to start.

There is a wonderful opportunity to learn in person from mask experts on May 12, at Burlington City Hall: the Vermont Emergency Forum to Assess the Respiratory Hazards of Masks.