Disposable N95 Masks Can Be Decontaminated, Researchers Confirm

The New York Times is reporting that several methods are effective at killing the new coronavirus on N95 masks — primary protective gear for health care workers — for two or even three rounds of use. The new research was conducted at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Researchers used live novel coronavirus, formally known as SARS-CoV-2, to test the mask material. They not only determined which decontamination procedures were most effective, but also how they affected the integrity of the masks. Vincent Munster, one of the study's co-authors, notes that the work built on over 10 years of studies into decontamination. "We showed that it actually works as well for SARS-CoV-2 as for influenza," and for bacteria, he remarked. Vaporized hydrogen peroxide was deemed effective and left the masks still functioning for at least three rounds of decontamination, as did UV light.