The recent outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) has brought many changes to people's daily lives and the work of medical staff. The shortage of N95 respiratory protective masks has also occurred before (SARS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, etc.), but not so severe. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend that ordinary people wear N95 protective masks to prevent covid19 or other respiratory diseases: the best way to prevent diseases is to avoid contact, and protective masks are invaluable to medical personnel who require additional protection. Unfortunately, many workers are reusing their mobile phones on the grounds that some protection is better than none. However, is this the safest and most effective method of action? These masks will be disposed of after use, so when a disease breaks out, it is necessary to ask: Can N95 masks be reused?
FDA mask use guide
The US Food and Drug Administration recommends against sharing or reusing N95 masks and disposable masks. Both surgical masks and N95 masks are designed to prevent large particles from entering the mouth. Surgical masks cannot filter or block the tiny particles in the air, nor can they seal the face well to provide complete protection. The original design of the N95 gas mask is to better seal the face, and is especially designed to filter smaller particles. The N95 is named because the gas mask can block 95% of the 0.3 micron test in the test. particulates.
Neither masks nor respirators can be reused. If they are damaged or soiled, the wearer is at risk of exposure to bacteria and viruses. In an ideal situation, they should be taken down, and then wash your hands carefully and handle them properly.
CDC Guidelines on Extended Use and Limited Reuse
Unfortunately, the best situation is not always what we have to face. In the medical crisis we are experiencing, sometimes difficult decisions need to be made: as far as disposable masks are concerned, this may mean which guidelines are more important in any case. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does provide some guidance for medical staff who need to wear disposable masks or reuse masks for a long time, which is not common in non-emergency situations.
Prolonged use is the recommended procedure for dealing with outbreaks of respiratory pathogens. Medical staff wear the same N95 respiratory protective masks for several patients, as long as these patients are infected with the same pathogen and placed them together in a specific area, there is no need to remove them. As long as the mask continues to fit securely, it can be worn for up to 8 hours depending on environmental conditions. When breathing becomes difficult, it is time to change the mask.
For pathogens that do not care about contact transmission, re-use of masks is more common, the number of times the device should be used should be limited, and very careful attention should be paid to the way the device is removed, stored, and disposed of.
PK safety disposable protective mask
Although we have been a leader in safety for decades, we recommend the following medical experts to provide you with the latest information on N95 mask guidelines and COVID-19 virus. The CDC and the WHO websites are good places to watch, and you can ask them urgent questions. For other workplace safety or protective equipment problems, PK safety can still be contacted online "