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The original was posted on /r/nostupidquestions by /u/mmencius on 2023-08-09 07:35:42+00:00.
I was concerned by these papers: and . Figure 4 of the latter paper indicates that wearing a N95 caused CO2 levels well above the 8-hour NIOSH limit and just below the 15-minute limit.
I still wear an N95 mask indoors (other than home). In the coming days, I will have a long flight (where I take the mask off in the bathroom) and a long plasma donation. It's possible that wearing the mask while the plane is midair is unnecessary due to air circulation, but I'd certainly like to wear it at other times (eg in the airport).
Should occasional long exhales through the mouth followed by a pause before inhaling again be sufficient to keep my inhaled CO2 levels down?