Masks ‘to blame for symptoms of hayfever’

MASKS worn to protect against Covid could cause hayfever-like symptoms.

Doctors in Germany have reported cases of 46 people with symptoms such as sneezing and an itchy and runny nose after wearing an FFP2 mask.

The masks, which are the gold standard for blocking Covid particles and are sold widely in the UK, have also been found to shed plastic fibres up to a tenth of an inch (3mm) in length, which are found in people’s noses.

For all but a tiny minority, the masks will cause no problems, with thousands having worn them during the pandemic in Germany, and only a few dozen reporting symptoms. But when researchers flushed out the noses of the 46 people with allergic symptoms in Germany, they found an average of almost four plastic fibres per person.

Dr Jan Hagemann, senior author of a research paper reporting the phenomenon, said: ‘These results do not suggest people should not wear masks.

‘The symptoms linked to FFP2 masks are more likely to be irritating than to cause an ongoing problem.’