Can disposable masks be worn more than once?
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf
; 242: 113908, 2022 Sep 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2254538
ABSTRACT
Disposable facemasks are a primary tool to prevent the transmission of SARS-COV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, plastic waste generated from their disposal represents a significant environmental problem that can be reduced by maximizing the service life of disposable masks. We evaluated the effect of repeated wearing on the fitted filtration efficiency (FFE) of N95, KF94, KN95, and procedure/surgical masks. The FFEs of masks were compared following extended wearing with and without washing. Results reveal that most disposable facemasks can retain a high level of their baseline FFE after extended wearing, even after 40 h of wearing. Laundering disposable masks degraded FFE in some instances. We conclude that the durability of disposable facemask performance is considerably longer than their intended single use indication, suggesting that reusing disposable masks is a safe means of reducing plastic waste in the environment.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Masks
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.ecoenv.2022.113908
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