On Mar 23, 2020, at 13:34, McGrath Edward J <Edward.McGrath**At_Symbol_Here**REDCLAY.K12.DE.US> wrote:

I'm married to a nursing supervisor of a home health agency.  Here's the answer I got:

1. N95 masks can be reused in a home setting if it is not contaminated on the inner surface, used with a single client (patient) only (and by a single user only.  Hopefully, that is already assumed), and not wet.  If it is to be reused, it should be stored in a paper bag (plastic would encourage mold contamination).

 

2.  If the above conditions are held, there is no need to sanitize them.  In other words, no sanitization protocol is appropriate.

 

3.  Regarding building their own mask:  NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!  (that is a direct quote).

 

Eddie McGrath

 

Edward J. McGrath

Supervisor of Science

Red Clay Consolidated School District

1502 Spruce Avenue

Wilmington, DE  19805

 

(302) 552-3768

 

We did not inherit the Earth from our parents.  We borrowed it from our children.

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of NEAL LANGERMAN
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2020 1:23 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [External] [DCHAS-L] COVID-19 Question

 

All

What do you say to a healthcare provider (assume they are in your core family) who has been told to ration N95 masks. Told to reuse them.

Healthcare provider wants to know about sanitizing them; about effectiveness; about building their own mask.

FYI, here is some NIH published data:

 

Reduction to exposure by virus-like particulates. Based on article published by NIH

Mask Type                                          % reduction of particulates

N95                                                                 99

SURGICAL MASK                                        74

HOMEMADE TEA CLOTH MASK             58

 

Also, the Elan Musk companies delivered 50,000 N95 masks to a hospital today.

 

nl

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Safety is the practice of fixed and unbendable principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times. Paraphrase of Everett Dirksen.

The information contained in this message is privileged and confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer.

 

ACSafety has a new address:

NEAL LANGERMAN, Ph.D.

ADVANCED CHEMICAL SAFETY, Inc.

PO Box 152329

SAN DIEGO CA 92195

011(619) 990-4908 (phone, 24/7)

www.chemical-safety.com

 

We no longer support FAX.

 

 Please contact me before sending any packages or courier delivery.  The address for those items is:

5340 Caminito Cachorro

San Diego CA 92105

 

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas