Can disposable masks be worn more than once?

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Materials Science

Background:

• Disposable facemasks are crucial for preventing SARS-COV-2 transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The widespread disposal of single-use masks generates substantial plastic waste, posing environmental challenges.
• Maximizing the service life of disposable masks can mitigate this environmental burden.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of repeated wearing on the fitted filtration efficiency (FFE) of various disposable facemask types.
• To assess the effect of laundering on the FFE of disposable masks.
• To determine if extending the use of disposable masks is a viable strategy for waste reduction.

Main Methods:

• Tested the FFE of N95, KF94, KN95, and procedure/surgical masks after extended periods of wear.
• Compared FFE retention with and without incorporating washing cycles into the extended wear protocol.
• Analyzed performance degradation across different mask types and wear conditions.

Main Results:

• Most tested disposable facemasks maintained a high baseline FFE even after 40 hours of continuous wear.
• Laundering disposable masks sometimes led to a degradation of their fitted filtration efficiency.
• The performance durability of disposable masks often exceeds their single-use recommendation.

Conclusions:

• Disposable facemasks demonstrate significant durability, retaining high filtration efficiency beyond their intended single use.
• Extending the wear of disposable masks is a safe and effective method for reducing plastic waste.
• This research supports the environmental benefit of reusing disposable masks, particularly N95 and surgical types.