UV Light Method Shows Promise For Sanitizing N95 Masks

The number of COVID-19 cases has not yet hit its peak and supplies of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks are dwindling, so medical communities are desperately looking for alternative solutions for disinfecting masks that healthcare workers are being forced to reuse. Medical optics solutions can prove very helpful in such conditions. 

Methods like UV light, heat, humidity, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide are the best-known viable practices and while they are not long-term solutions, if used correctly, they can be effective in emergency situations. UV light offers a potential option that can be a safe and cost-effective way to sanitize masks, if the right amount of light, for the right length of time, is dosed by a well-understood optical device.

UV light can be used to disinfect water, air, and surfaces from bacteria, viruses, and protozoan cysts. Front-line medical practitioners and first responders nationwide can use UV lights in the most effective way. They are being used in hospitals and hanging in ambulances so that emergency medical technicians (EMTs) can sanitize their surfaces and implements on the go. Healthcare professionals in rural areas that don’t have the same resources as those in cities, can greatly benefit from this application.

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