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One of the researchers who carried out the study breathes into a sealed box while wearing a mask. Courtesy of NIDDK.
One of the researchers who carried out the study breathes into a sealed box while wearing a mask. Courtesy of NIDDK.
What you need to know
Masks help protect the people wearing them from getting or spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Now researchers have found evidence for yet another potential benefit for wearers: The humidity created inside the mask may help reduce the severity of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19.
A study led by researchers in NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) found that face masks substantially increase the humidity in the air that the mask wearer breathes in.
News and Stories
Read stories about the efforts underway to prevent, detect, and treat COVID-19 and its effects on our health.