The CDC recommends people wear cloth face coverings in public, except for young children.

After considerable institutional hemming and hawing, the CDC now recommends people wear face masks in public.

But claims have been circulating about the dangers of face masks to people who wear them, including that they cause hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen in the body's tissue.

One Facebook post from user Amy Cox Jones warns that putting a face mask on a child will cause them to pass out and die.

Her post, which had more than 8,500 shares as of Friday morning, includes a photo of an infant who appears to be napping while wearing a cloth mask.

While Jones' post correctly cautions against using face masks on very young children — a warning included in CDC guidelines — her post also implies that face masks are harmful for adults for the same reason?

The CDC has recommended people wear cloth face coverings in public because there's evidence that people with the novel coronavirus can spread the disease even if they don't have symptoms. .

The CDC's guidance excludes some people from the recommendation to wear masks, including children younger than 2. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers similar guidance for young children, "due to risks of suffocation." .

While Jones' post is correct about face coverings in children, the post incorrectly implies that any adult wearing a cloth face covering will suffer from hypoxia. .

Shu, who pointed to Kasten's Facebook post when asked whether masks pose a danger of hypoxia to healthy older children and adults, said she would also recommend parents with questions about masks or other issues call their pediatricians. 

CDC officials did not respond to a USA TODAY request for comment regarding claims about face masks and hypoxia

But a CDC spokesperson did tell Reuters in a May 5 article that masks are unlikely to cause another condition called hypercapnia, or excessive carbon dioxide in a person's bloodstream, in people who wear them in public. 

But the same effects are not likely in people wearing cloth face masks, especially for the brief amount of time they are in public. 

While the Facebook post correctly states that parents should not place face masks on their young children, the post incorrectly implies that all masks wearers will suffer from hypoxia, which is not supported by science.