{"id":114580,"date":"2020-11-18T12:50:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T09:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/can-surgical-masks-be-reused\/"},"modified":"2020-11-18T12:50:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T09:50:01","slug":"can-surgical-masks-be-reused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-surgical-masks-be-reused\/","title":{"rendered":"#Can surgical masks be reused?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Can surgical masks be reused?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"Masks
\n Masks have become obligatory in many aspects of public life
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Health authorities say the most widespread anti-COVID weapon\u2014surgical masks\u2014must be thrown away after a single use, but environmental concerns are pushing some scientists to question this recommendation.\n <\/p>\n

As the coronavirus continues to spread, masks have in many places become mandatory on public transport, in shops and at work.<\/p>\n

But cost has become an issue, as has the fact so many disposable plastic masks wind up in waterways and the oceans.<\/p>\n

One alternative is reusable cloth masks, but many people prefer single-use surgical masks because they are lighter and individually cheaper.<\/p>\n

“Medical masks are for single use only,” the World Health Organization has said. “Discard the mask immedia<\/a>tely, preferably into a closed bin.”<\/p>\n

But faced with shortages during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April, the WHO allowed in a June report for “exceptional procedures” to disinfect throw-away masks for reuse. <\/p>\n

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends\u2014in emergency circumstances\u2014hydrogen peroxide vapour to decontaminate the N95 masks worn by healthcare workers. <\/p>\n

Other methods to purify single-use masks include exposing them to high temperatures or ultraviolet radiation. <\/p>\n

But these methods are inconvenient for people at home, said French microbiologist and member of Adios Corona, Denis Corpet.<\/p>\n

Seven-day method<\/b><\/p>\n

Adios Corona\u2014a group of scientists who provide information on COVID-19 to the public\u2014recommends “placing the mask in a paper envelope with the date clearly marked, and leaving it for seven days”.<\/p>\n

“Several scientific studies show that viruses are almost all dead on a mask after seven days,” said Corpet.<\/p>\n

A study published in The Lancet<\/i> found that only 0.1 percent of the virus on the outside surface of the mask was still detectable after one week.<\/p>\n

This method, however, is not app<\/a>ropriate for healthcare workers exposed to high viral loads.<\/p>\n

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\"Scientist
\n Scientist Peter Tsai recommends leaving the mask out for seven days before reuse
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Peter Tsai, the inventor of N95 electrostatically charged filter material, agrees with the seven-day method.
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But he suggests leaving used masks out in the open for a week before reuse, a cycle he says can be repeated five to 10 times.<\/p>\n

Disposable masks can also be placed in the oven, Tsai told AFP, ideally at a temperature between 70 and 75 degrees Celsius (158 and 167 degrees Fahrenheit)\u2014not too high to avoid burning the plastic, but sufficiently hot to kill the virus.<\/p>\n

Washing masks in a washing machine, however, is not a good idea.<\/p>\n

“Washing without detergent may not wash away the virus,” Tsai said. “And washing with detergent will erase the (electrostatic) charges,” diminishing its efficiency.<\/p>\n

French consumers’ rights group UFC-Que Choisir washed surgical masks at 60C, put them in the dryer, and ironed them. After 10 such cycles, the masks still filtered at least 90 percent of 3-micron particles.<\/p>\n

“Apart from a slight felting, the washed surgical masks were at least as efficient as the best cloth masks,” UFC-Que Choisir reported last week.<\/p>\n

‘Like underwear’<\/b><\/p>\n

Researcher Philippe Vroman from French engineering university Ensait came to the same conclusion.<\/p>\n

After five washes, “there are practically no differences (of filtration) for particles of 3 microns,” Vroman said, on the basis of preliminary results not yet published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.<\/p>\n

“And I would rather we swap masks every four hours and wash them, rather than wearing them several days in a row as some people do. It’s a bit like underwear,” he said.<\/p>\n

But not all scientists agree.<\/p>\n

“Washing the mask at home could potentially cause a secondary contamination and spread the virus if washing is not set appropriately,” said Kaiming Ye, head of the biomedical engineering department at New York’s Binghamton University.<\/p>\n

Until more research is published on the matter, official advice from health authorities is not set to change.<\/p>\n

“Single-use surgical masks must be thrown into the bin after use,” said France’s health authority DGS, but noted that more studies were underway.\n <\/p>\n\n

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Follow the latest news<\/a> on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2020 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Can surgical masks be reused? (2020, November 18)
\n retrieved 18 November 2020
\n from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2020-11-surgical-masks-reused.html<\/p>\n

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