Feasibility of Reusing Surgical Mask Under Different Disinfection Treatments (preprint)

The possibility to extend the lifespan or even reuse one-off personal protective equipment, especially for N95 respirator and surgical mask become critical during pandemic. World Health Organization has confirmed that wearing surgical mask is effective in controlling the spread of respiratory diseases in the community, but the supply may not be able to satisfy all the demands created all over the world in a short period of time. This investigation found that dry heat and UVC irradiance could effectively disinfect the mask material without creating significant damage to surgical mask.