I thought they threw these things away.. Company in Ohio decontaminates N95 masks for reuse

[Demovictory9]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-n95-mask-decontaminating-reuse.html?algo=clicks_decay_6&fellback=true&imp_id=486896743&action=click&module=moreIn&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer

Inside the rural Ohio labs run by Battelle, a nonprofit research and development firm, scientists have tested explosives, experimented with atomic energy and worked with chemical nerve agents. But some of the group’s most critical work is now happening outside, in a parking lot.

Under a sprawling tent near the small town of West Jefferson, employees have spent the recent weeks decontaminating over 30,000 used face masks for doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Each day, N95 masks collected from more than 100 hospitals, clinics, fire departments and nursing homes are treated for hours with a hydrogen peroxide vapor. Once cleaned, the masks are sent back to the same facilities to be reused.

A severe shortage of personal protective equipment has left hospitals desperate as the outbreak continues to spread.


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The hydrogen peroxide vapor decontamination unit used during the decontamination process.
The hydrogen peroxide vapor decontamination unit used during the decontamination process.

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[hlthe2b]

1. They did pre-Covid-19. Never meant to be reused, but no choice now.

[California_Republic]

2. I 'baked' my surgical masked today.

Ready for reuse

[orleans]

3. how do you bake it? in the oven? do tell

seriously.

i'm imagining it catching on fire.

why not use a disinfectant wipe?

[California_Republic]

4. 250 degrees for on hour.

Some people cook a turkey in a paper bag

[orleans]

5. (about the mask) wow

and (about turkey in a paper bag) huh...did not know that.