Amid Shortage, UMass Research Says N95 Masks Can Be Reused

AMHERST, MA — With shortages of all types of medical supplies hitting hospitals across the nation due to the new coronavirus outbreak, new research from UMass School of Public Health professors shows that some key equipment can be disinfected and reused.

The research, conducted by School of Public Health and Health Sciences Richard Peltier and New England Baptist Hospital infectious disease chief Dr. Brian Hollenbeck, focused on N95 masks, which are thought to provide the best protection against COVID-19.

In a lab, Peltier used a mannequin to test whether pollutants could still pass through an N95 mask after it had been disinfected. The masks are designed to be disposed of after a single use. The mask used in a test worked the same after disinfection, Peltier found.

However, the test could not be performed multiple times due to the N95 mask shortage, UMass said in a news release.

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester is already reusing N95 masks after disinfecting them with ultraviolet light. The hospital can use a single N95 mask up to 10 times using the UV disinfection method.