3/21/2020

N95 Respirator Microwave Decontamination Procedure


Link to the one-page nicely formatted document.
N95reuse.com


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
≥4.81 log10 TCID50 reduction in H5N1
>95% filtration efficiency after 1X treatments
not tested
procedure above
not tested
not tested
no change in fit or comfort
procedure above
>4-log reduction of viable H1N1 virus
not tested
slight delamination of nose foam cushion
procedure above
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










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