No Evidence That Face Masks Contain Harmful Chemicals

OIn April 1st, 2021, the fabrics publication Ecotextile News claimed to have an exclusive story about the danger of face masks. The article claimed that leading German scientists had identified mask-wearing as a risk to human health. Specifically, the publication claimed to have interviewed Professor Michael Braungart, the director of the Hamburg Environmental Institute, and Dr. Dieter Sedlak, the managing director and co-founder of Modern Testing Services, Augsburg. 

The article claims that Professor Braungart has found that wearers of certain face masks, specifically textile and nonwoven face masks, risk breathing in carcinogens, allergens and synthetic microfibers. It also claims that Dr. Dieter Sedlak has “found elevated concentrations of hazardous fluorocarbons, formaldehyde and other potentially carcinogenic substances on surgical face masks.” 

A range of conspiracy theory websites and unreliable news sites then repeated these claims. The claims also spread via social media: