A group of local parents sent 6 face masks to a lab at the University of Florida, requesting an analysis of contaminants found on the masks after they had been worn.

The resulting report found that five masks were contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and fungi, including three with dangerous pathogenic and pneumonia-causing bacteria.

The analysis detected the following 11 dangerous pathogens on the masks:.

One-third were contaminated with dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.

In addition, less dangerous pathogens were identified, including pathogens that can cause fever, ulcers, acne, yeast infections, strep throat, periodontal disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and more.

The face masks studied were new or freshly-laundered before wearing and had been worn for 5 to 8 hours, most during in-person schooling by children aged 6 through 11.

A t-shirt worn by one of the children to school and unworn masks were tested as controls.

These local parents contracted with the lab because they were concerned about the potential of contaminants on masks that their children were forced to wear all day at school, taking them on and off, setting them on various surfaces, wearing them in the bathroom, etc.

This prompted them to send the masks to the University of Florida’s Mass Spectrometry Research and Education Center for analysis.

Wearing face masks.

well How about checking and cleaning the surfaces that these masks are touching

These pathogens are in our environment and that’s one of the problems with wearing masks

The pathogens are caught in the mask for you to continue to breathe all day long

The only virus caught by the masks was wildebeest herpesvirus