N95 Respirators Can Be Decontaminated from SARS-CoV-2

Vaporized hydrogen peroxide is the most effective decontamination method for masks that had been exposed to the coronavirus in a recent study.

Written byAmy Schleunes

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Amid a worldwide shortage of N95 respirators that help protect healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study conducted by federal scientists found that the masks can be effectively decontaminated from SARS-CoV-2 exposure and reused up to three times. While the research, published on April 15, has not been peer-reviewed, it offers multiple methods for extending the life of N95 respirators, which are designed for single use.

Coauthor Vincent Munster of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases tells The New York Times that the research relied upon more than a decade of studies on decontamination. “We showed that it actually works as well for SARS-CoV-2 as for influenza,” and is also effective against bacteria, he says.

The investigators tested different decontamination methods on small sections of filter fabric from N95 respirators that had been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, ...

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Meet the Author

Amy Schleunes
A former intern at The Scientist, Amy studied neurobiology at Cornell University and later earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa. She is a Los Angeles–based writer, editor, and communications strategist who collaborates on nonfiction books for Harper Collins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and also teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University CTY. Her favorite projects involve sharing the insights of science and medicine.
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