TOKYO: With temperatures going up in many areas in Japan, there are growing concerns that wearing face masks as a measure to prevent infection with the novel coronavirus may increase the risk of heatstroke.

Some experts warn people to take extra precautions this year, saying that covering their faces with masks will prevent their bodies from releasing heat, while others say that the use of face masks is unlikely to raise the risk of heatstroke.

Recently, many people wear face masks or cover their faces with towels when jogging, as well as walking as an exercise.

"Wearing a mask will reduce the amount of air entering the lungs, and this will increase the burden on the body as the organs and respiratory muscles start working actively to make up for the reduced air intake, and the heart rate will also increase," Masaaki Sugita, training science professor at Nippon Sport Science University, said.

When people do exercises, it is necessary to release heat from their bodies. In particular, palms, bottoms of the feet and cheeks tend to get hot.

Using a face mask will make it difficult for the body to release heat, according to Sugita. The risk of heatstroke will rise if people feel heat in their faces, he warned.

Meanwhile, Kei Nagashima, environmental physiology professor at Waseda University, said, "I think the levels of heat in one's body will little change whether he or she wears a mask," while noting that no research has probably been made on the links between the use of face masks and heatstroke.

Nagashima pointed out that people tend to feel their bodies getting hot when they move their bodies while wearing face masks. But he doubted that the body temperatures will actually rise under the condition.

Instead, Nagashima warned that a sense of discomfort will rise when people do exercises while wearing face masks, possibly leading to them taking off the protective gears and exposing them to the risk of getting infected with the new coronavirus.

JIJI Press