N95 Respirator Microwave Decontamination Procedure

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N95 Respirator Microwave Decontamination Procedure

• Fill a plastic container with 50mL (¼ cup) of tap water

• Place a perforated plate over the container

• Place a single respirator on the perforated plate (so the steam can get through to it)

• Microwave on high for 2 minutes

• 1250W rated, 2450 MHz commercially available microwave oven

• the metal noseband won’t spark - the water will absorb the microwave energy

• Inspect respirator for visible signs of deterioration, and check fit remains adequate

Perform this procedure at your own risk. This procedure is not approved by the CDC, but was demonstrated on N95s in these peer-reviewed studies:

Study	Did it decontaminate?	Did it degrade the N95 filter?	Did it degrade the N95 fit?	notes
Lore 2012	≥4.81 log10 TCID50 reduction in H5N1	>95% filtration efficiency after 1X treatments	not tested	procedure above
Viscusi 2011	not tested	not tested	no change in fit or comfort	procedure above
Heimbuch 2011	>4-log reduction of viable H1N1 virus	not tested	slight delamination of nose foam cushion	procedure above
Bergman 2010	not tested	>95% filtration efficiency after 3X treatments	slight delamination of nose foam cushion	procedure above
Zulauf 2020 preprint	>5-log reduction of viable MS2 phage	no change after 20X cycles	no change in fit or comfort	procedure above, 3m
3M 2020 no peer-review	not tested	>95% filtration efficiency after 5-10X treatments	partial melting, foam delamination on some	procedure above