Antipollution masks for cyclists, a useless accessory?

Some cyclists do not consider an exit without the wearing of this mask. In the city, they feel protected against polluting particles. Problem, these masks said "antipollution" could actually be of no use to guard against the air pollution. In an badessment to badess the potential health benefit of wearing a mask called "antipollution", the handles concludes the "lack of available data" attesting to a health benefit. The agency therefore does not recommend wearing the mask to protect against air pollution.

To support these conclusions , the agency first explains that the effectiveness of the mask tested in the laboratory can not prejudge "efficiency in real conditions of use" by the general population. And the agency quote some parameters that can skew this effectiveness: a "bad fit to the face, a lack of mask maintenance, lack of information and user training, intense physical activity, etc." . The control of the wearing of the mask is therefore not guaranteed, concludes the agency.

A "false sense of protection" against pollution

Second aspect which puts into question the interest of the mask: "most products identified on the French market are designed to protect particles present in the ambient air and do not protect against the substances present in the gaseous state ", the study observes.

Problem, in the user, the wearing of a mask can give the illusion of being protected and lead to "behaviors possibly leading to overexposure to pollutants in the air".

The most effective to limit the health impact of pollution environmental (including the risk of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular) remains to limit emissions, concludes the handles. The agency advocates, among other things, greater transparency and information to the population and to sensitive people about behavior to adopt in order to limit daily exposure.

Read also

14% of diabetes cases related to pollution

Do you often clean? So you have smoker's lungs

Noise promotes stress