[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] ReN95 Respirator Cleaning and Reuse Methods Proposed by the Inventor of the N95 Mask Material Pascal S.C. Juang, MD and Peter Tsai, PhD

[Robert Primak]

 The latest news is that a certain number of N95 masks are being offered to people for free, thanks to the Federal Government. The cost is no longer an issue. (Assuming the free masks arrive before the present COVID surge ends.) 
And in answer to John's comment about short-term use, yes. You can continue to use the same N95 mask for many days if it's only used for very short intervals and kept in a clean storage pouch between uses. As long as it isn't stored damp or wet, there's no reason to discard a mask after only a few minutes per day of use.
Still, I wouldn't use the same mask forever. There is a reasonable limit.
-- Bob Primak

    On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 10:35:17 PM EST, Olga Guttag <guttagconsulting at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 Bob,
I am afraid that you are not taking into account the less fortunate folks who have a hard time paying even their regular bills let alone extra costs of Covid gear. Adding $50+/person in Covid protection monthly can force people to have to choose between food or Covid protections. In addition in times of shortages, people have no choice but to reuse masks, so knowing how to do it in the safest possible way is very important.
I am glad that CDC and others are looking into safe ways of reusing masks. Besides the financial impact on families, the disposal of all of these masks presents a real environmental problem. So there are lots of good reasons to look for ways to reuse masks. 
Due to my illness I have been wearing N95 masks every time I leave the house (and in 2014-15 around the clock). I have devised a system of reusing the masks where I usually need 5 masks for 12-15 days. My system is very similar (probably more conservative) than the one described in the article. But I have not become sick in spite of frequent visits to medical offices, so clearly reusing masks works for me. I expect that each of us has enough sense to not reuse a mask full of sweat and other gross stuff, but most of us do not fill our masks with sweat very often.
Hope I can make you aware of other perspectives on mask reuse.
Stay well,Olga


On Jan 19, 2022, at 8:03 PM, Robert Primak <bobprimak at yahoo.com> wrote:
 Actually, it's more like three days max. That's because of accumulated dirt, germs, moisture, etc. N95 masks cannot be cleaned safely and should never be washed and reused. They also fail to protect when they've gotten wet, outside or inside. 
Washing and reuse may have contributed to health care workers getting sick with COVID-19 when the masks were in short supply. Omicron COVID makes safe mask use even more important.  With good N95 masks being available at home improvement stores for about $2.00 per mask, packs of 10, limit two packs per visit, I see no reason to push the limits of safe reuse. N95 masks are a consumable personal hygiene commodity. Not a re-wearable clothing accessory. 
I place my limit at three days, regardless of how many hours I've used the mask. After that time, they get pretty gross on the inside. This includes about 90 mins per day of significant exercise, or physical volunteer work for about two to three hours per day. Only about a day in summertime hot, humid weather, or if rain or snow have gotten onto the outside of the mask. Dusty environments can use up an N95 mask even quicker. 
All of this said, N95 masks are about the only protection we can have against the unmasked people who put the "gross" into grocery shopping. I for one am not "done with COVID" yet. 
-- Bob Primak
    On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 04:50:27 PM EST, Derek Gardiner <derek.gardiner.02420 at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 I was advised by a State health official, who works in the Baker administration, that you can use your N95 mask for 40 hours and then you should toss it away. Never wash it.Derek
On Wed, Jan 19, 2022 at 9:29 AM Michael Alexander <mna.ma at yahoo.com> wrote:


Found in a Comment on a Washington Post article (link below).  I haven’t had time to think about the practicality of the method, but am passing this along FYI.
    – Mike Alexander



 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7161499/






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