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Disinfect and reuse FFP2 masks at home: Lauterbach also recommends the following procedure

2021-01-22T04:59:26.409Z


FFP2 masks are single-use products that should be thrown away after use. However, there is a way to use it multiple times.


FFP2 masks are single-use products that should be thrown away after use.

However, there is a way to use it multiple times.

  • A commercially available FFP2 mask * costs more than four euros in the pharmacy.

    This high price raises the question for many: Do I actually have to throw it away after wearing it once, or is there a way to continue using it?

  • FFP masks should always be used as specified by the manufacturer.

    However, you can extend the service life of the particle filtering half masks, as FFP2 and FFP3 masks are also called.

  • According to the German Society for Hospital Hygiene, the strictest and most qualitatively safest method for the sterilization of FFP masks should be used in hospitals: steam sterilization.

    There are extra equipment for this in hospitals,

    but with the following tip you can easily sterilize your FFP2 masks at home and use them again.

Normal everyday masks made of fabric can simply be washed in the washing machine and then used again and again.

OP or FFP2 masks, on the other hand, are intended by the manufacturer as single-use products.

Environmental reasons and also the question of costs are what prevent many people from disposing of the mask immediately after use.

Scientists from the University of Illinois have now dealt with the question of how one could disinfect N95 respirators (same filter performance and material properties as FFP2 masks) at home

without losing their effectiveness.

According to the researchers, with the help of a simple kitchen appliance, the masks can be sterilized so well that they can be worn several times without hesitation.

For their study, they put N95 mouth and nose covers in an electric stove.

50 minutes of dry heat in a rice cooker or multi-cooker was enough to decontaminate the N95 respirators from the inside and outside without the filter performance or fit having suffered

.

According to the study directors, the procedure makes it possible to safely reuse the respirators tested.

However, the masks should not touch the heating element directly, as the portal sciencedaily informs.

According to the study, this can be prevented by placing a small towel on the bottom of the stove.

FFP2 or N95 mask: protection class designations for particle filtering half masks 

FFP2

 stands for "Filtering Face Piece" and meets the German standard DIN EN 149: 2009-08.


N95 masks

 are approved according to the US standard 42 CFR Part 84 of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Also read

: FFP2 masks to protect against corona viruses: What to look out for when buying *.

Clean FFP2 masks: heat disinfects material - electric stoves are suitable

For adequate sterilization of the masks, according to the researchers, it was necessary to place them in the stove at 100 degrees Celsius for at least 50 minutes in order to rid them of corona viruses.

Very important: There must be no water in the stove, the masks become sterile in dry heat.

This method is even more effective than sterilization using ultraviolet light.

"The respirators retained their filtration capacity of more than 95 percent and even after 20 decontamination cycles in the electric cooker still sat properly on the wearer's face," sciencedaily quotes the study director.

According to Web.de, several masks can be disinfected in one go by stacking them in the stove.

SPD politician and doctor Karl Lauterbach had already

pointed out

this

possibility of mask disinfection

on his Twitter channel last summer

:

A simple 30 € electric rice cooker can disinfect N95 protective masks, which protect the wearer very well on long train journeys, in 50 minutes every day.

This does not take anything away from the medical staff and is well protected even in risky situations https://t.co/iQvWFXzpSz

- Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) August 6, 2020

More on the topic

: FFP2 masks: is the price shock coming now?

Pay attention to this when buying online or in the pharmacy. *

* ADVERTISING * Exclusive product recommendation:

On the 

FFP2

-

masks Hostlab 

you get to 31 January 

a 10 percent discount

 on the purchase of 10, 20 or 50 pieces.

The discount is automatically deducted at the checkout.

Order FFP2 masks from Hostlab now (Affiliate Link)

FFP2 masks do not lose performance after disinfection

A German study by the NMI Natural Science and Medical Institute at the University of Tübingen has also shown:

After several sterilization programs, the material structure of FFP2 and FFP3 protective masks does not change significantly.

An examination of the fleece used in the masks under a scanning electron microscope showed that FFP masks can be reused after disinfection without losing filter performance, as reported by the medical specialist portal dzw.

(jg)

 *

Merkur.de, wa.de and 24vita.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network

.

More sources:

https://www.bfarm.de/SharedDocs/Risikoinformationen/Medizinprodukte/DE/schutzmasken.html;

https://www.krankenhaushygiene.de/pdfdata/presse/2020_05_01_spiegel_interview_walger.pdf;

https://www.aerzteblatt.de/nachrichten/112501/Sterilisierung-von-FFP2-Schutzmasken-er sucht-hohe-Temperaturen

Not only delicious rice!

With the WMF rice cooker with steamer (commercial link) you can cook all common types of rice, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas and vegetables so gently that they contain important nutrients.

You can also misuse the kitchen helper - and use it to disinfect FFP2 masks.

Survey on the subject of corona vaccination

Read more

: Effective corona protection: Should we all wear two masks on top of each other?

Everyday masks and the question of materials

Everyday masks and the question of materials

List of rubric lists: © Sven Hoppe / dpa

Source: merkur

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