CMAJ: Wet heat treatment allows the N95 mask to be recycled 10 times without destroying the mask's function while killing new coronaviruses and bacteria.

In a new study, researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, found that wet heat treatment of N95 masks eliminated SARS-CoV-2 and bacteria, which would allow the reuse of these scarce resources.
related findings published online July 30, 2020 in the journal CMAJ, with the title "Effect of the ance for the ance of the respirators on SARS-CoV-2 in andactivation respirator function".
the researchers found that the wet heat treatment (60 minutes, 70 degrees C, 50% relative humidity) did not damage the structure of the mask or affect its function. "This low-cost reprocessing strategy can be applied 10 times without compromising the filtering, breathing resistance, fit and comfort of the mask, and may help alleviate the global mask shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. Gregory Borschel of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children,
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" the researchers tested four common n95 masks at different temperature and humidity levels to determine whether the virus could be detected on treated masks.
they also analyzed the structural integrity of fiber samples in the mask and evaluated the function of the mask after heat treatment. "The thermal disinfection of N95 masks may provide a low-cost, effective way to expand the supply of these critical resources in less resourced areas, thereby protecting vulnerable front-line workers from work-related infections," said Dr.
Borschel.
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