How do I publicize a plan to extend the life of N95 Respirators?
Why not get a mask maker to manufacture exhaust valves that could be installed by the user into an existing N95?
Respirators only get a little dusty from inhaling. They get loaded with moisture and germs from exhaling, spit from talking and coughing, etc.
The US has a dwindling reserve of N95s without exhaust valves. They're discovering caches of them from time to time but they're probably the ones without valves because before the epidemic, it was unnecessary to use them for several weeks.
The filtration media is the hard part to manufacture. One source online estimated it takes four to five months to get new manufacturing equipment working for the melt spun, N95 material.
There's probably plenty of available manufacturing capacity for small plastic parts.
Respirators only get a little dusty from inhaling. They get loaded with moisture and germs from exhaling, spit from talking and coughing, etc.
The US has a dwindling reserve of N95s without exhaust valves. They're discovering caches of them from time to time but they're probably the ones without valves because before the epidemic, it was unnecessary to use them for several weeks.
The filtration media is the hard part to manufacture. One source online estimated it takes four to five months to get new manufacturing equipment working for the melt spun, N95 material.
There's probably plenty of available manufacturing capacity for small plastic parts.
0
-
Wouldn't installing an exhaust valve defeat the purpose of wearing the mask? After all. if "they get loaded with moisture and germs from exhaling, spit from talking and coughing, etc", isn't that the idea behind wearing a mask in the first place? 0 -
Most health care workers did not wear masks before Covid-19. That means the masks they have now are to protect them from Covid-19.Horse Plains Drifter said:Wouldn't installing an exhaust valve defeat the purpose of wearing the mask? After all. if "they get loaded with moisture and germs from exhaling, spit from talking and coughing, etc", isn't that the idea behind wearing a mask in the first place?
They are surely closely monitored for Covid-19. If they catch it themselves, they're probably taken out of service until recovered, both to preserve them and to prevent spreading the illness. In a shortage of hospital care, compromises must be made. If you were sick, wouldn't you risk catching Covid-19 from your doctor in order to get helped?
Besides that, many of them are caring for people who definitely already have the epidemic.0 -
I see some N95 masks are total junk, If they are meant to be quickly thrown out, maybe less so. I wash them with dish detergent and quickly scrub by hand, and hang to dry. Contact cement works to re glue metal nose thingys and the elastic barely held by one wimpy staple 0 -
Washing them reduces their effectiveness. Informed users are disinfecting them with UV or other means that don't involve washing. But they probably still get dirtier and dirtier with matter that can sustain various infections.papernicker said:I see some N95 masks are total junk, If they are meant to be quickly thrown out, maybe less so. I wash them with dish detergent and quickly scrub by hand, and hang to dry. Contact cement works to re glue metal nose thingys and the elastic barely held by one wimpy staple
0 -
I snatched this off the net. Can’t vouch for the accuracy.
0 -
It really all comes down to particle size and even a N95 mask is only rated to capture 95% of particles as small as .003 micron or Corona virus size. I would bet money that a cloth mask with a coffee filter or other layers would have the potential of stopping a strand of virus RNA at least occasionally. Hepa filters are 99% efficient if I'm not mistaken but either way you look at it nothing but stopping O2 is 100% 0 -
Curiouser and curiouser. By this chart both the surgical and ffp1 masks filter more virus than the larger particles. I know that masks use a natural electric charge to attract viruses but it is counter intuitive to see smaller particles filtered better than larger ones. Then again I ain't that smart, I just pretend to be on this forum.😊 Bob 0 -
I understand what FCD is saying, & he is certainly correct that cloth masks (which I call "fashion" masks) are only to protect those around you, in case you are infected. And, while most government officials don't lie, many just prefer "soft" language like, "we need to work together to stop the spread of the coronovirus". Does anyone really want them to tell the truth? That there are barely enough N95 masks for first responders & hospital personnel? That we don't even have enough surgical masks to give to the public? We need to pray that researchers come up with a vaccine, or find that many of us already have antibodies.Actually, there are 2 types of N95 masks: industrial, for use by the trades, & medical, for use by medical personnel. The difference is that medical masks have a splash resistant layer. Most N95 masks made in the US are industrial, & NO ONE in the medical field would issue them except as a last resort. All makers of N95 masks must be approved by NIOSH (National Institutes of Occupational Safety & Health). We either have to wait for US companies to increase domestic production of medical masks, or hope that Chinese companies can produce them quickly.NIOSH says that medical N95 masks must be discarded "at the end of a shift". I believe that they are looking at ways of decontaminating masks, but nothing has been approved. Anyone who has a better way to produce or re-use N95 masks should submit his idea to NIOSH.And, just about any mask you see on the web purporting to be N95 or KN95 certified is likely to be bogus. Just don't pay a lot for your fashion masks.Neal
0 -
I wish more N95's had valves, my wife and other RN's are getting headaches from breathing in so much CO² during the day.
At first they were required to reuse the same N95 for three shifts, the masks were decontaminated via UV. Now they're issued a new one every shift.
0 -
They don't all have an exhaust valve. Maybe health care workers are having to use second tier N95s. The news from hard-hit places often shows health care workers wearing masks without exhaust valves.Flying Clay Disk said:1. The masks healthcare providers wear to protect THEM FROM the virus. These are the N95 masks, and yes, they do have an exhaust valve. These masks do NOT protect others from contracting the virus.
0 -
they make UV cell phone cleaners that the mask would fit right in,,cost about $50,, the same person could reuse a mask a dozen times after cleaning and sanitizing but that is too simple.. 0 -
sharpshooter039: 31539073944987/comments/31539105853723
they make UV cell phone cleaners that the mask would fit right in,,cost about $50,, the same person could reuse a mask a dozen times after cleaning and sanitizing but that is too simple..The problem is that UV light degrades filter media. The hospital was doing it 5 times max for disposable N95.
0 -
Another issue is the masks slowly get exposed to dried spit and snot. They may be sterile after UV or autoclave disinfection but they are full of matter that can help support the growth of germs, not necessarily only Covid-19, after the wearer puts the mask back on and it gets damp again and exposed to mouth germs again.Beeramid said:The problem is that UV light degrades filter media. The hospital was doing it 5 times max for disposable N95.
0 -
N99 for beer runs and a N100 for Walmart.
0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
14 comments