Podcasts Health Dr. Howard Smith Oncall N95 Masks Retain Their Fit Over Time

N95 Masks Retain Their Fit Over Time

Published: Dec. 14, 2020, 6:21 a.m.

 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/PkwSncRULXk

 

All N95 masks retain a safe fit for 12 or fewer episodes of use.  This according to a Johns Hopkins study of some 92 health care workers.

 

The investigation revealed that while 100% of masks fit well for the first 12 wearings, that number fell slightly to 95% for up to 23 uses, and then down to 90% for up to 31 uses.  It goes without saying that every N95 mask must fit snugly before a first use by health care workers and high risk patients.

 

Other studies have shown that N95 masks may be repeatedly decontaminated more than 20 to 30 times using heat and UV irradiation. 

 

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.04.20244087v1.full.pdf

 

#covid #mask #n95 #fitting