The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a major shortage of N95 respirators, which protect healthcare professionals and the public who may come into contact with the virus. It is necessary to determine the conditions that would allow the safe reuse respirators and personal protection in this crisis. We found that heating (<100 {degrees}C) under various humidities (up to 100% RH at 75 {degrees}C) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation were the most promising candidates for mask reuse in the modern hospital infrastructure (up to 20 cycles), when tested on a fabric with particle filtration efficiency [≥]95%. Treatments involving certain liquids and vapors may require caution, as steam, alcohol, and bleach all led to degradation in filtration efficiency, leaving the user vulnerable to viral aerosols.
Can N95 respirators be reused after disinfection? And for how many times?