JAMA's retraction of paper finding masks harm children was 'political,' lead author says

The lead author of a study that found dangerously high levels of inhaled carbon dioxide in German masked schoolchildren is crying foul after the prestigious journal that published the study retracted it.

Harald Walach told Just the News that editors at the Journal of the American Medical Association and JAMA Pediatrics did not tell him how he failed to provide, in the words of the retraction notice, "sufficiently convincing evidence" in response to criticism of the study.

"I would actually also like to see how those conclusions were reached, but I am afraid that there was no solid conclusion," he wrote in an email. The "key phrase" in the retraction notice was "potential public health implications," which suggests "the retraction was political, because some people did not like our data," Walach said.

The notice cited "numerous scientific issues" that were raised after the publication of the research letter, a shorter format JAMA accepts for "concise, focused reports of original research." They are limited to 600 words — a condition cited by Walach in responses to criticism.