Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/h4N4_Do56qo

 

Heating N95 or KN95 masks to 170 ˚F for 30 minutes effectively disinfects, and you can do it up to 50 times without losing the mask’s CoVid filtration powers.  This conclusion comes from a study by 4C Air, a nanotechnology spinoff from Stanford University.

 

Investigators there compared various methods of cleaning medical grade masks including dry heating, steam, UV light, 75% alcohol, and chlorine bleach.  The alcohol and bleach both immediately destroyed the mask’s filtration capabilities.  Steam treatment degraded filtration function after 5 cycles of treatment.  The UVC treatment worked well for 10 cycles.

 

Healthcare workers and eventually all of us can recycle our N95 masks by oven heating.

 

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c03597?goto=articleMetrics&ref=pdf

 

#covid #coronavirus #n95 #mask #disinfection #heating #uv