COVID-19 ECHO Session #12: Facial Masks During COVID-19: Homemaking, Disinfection and Imaging


May 27, 2020

During severe shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to COVID-19, one solution to consider is decontamination and extended use of medical masks and N95/FFP2 respirators for health workers at the frontline. On 26 May, 2020 ASLM’s LabCoP hosted a session that covered these considerations and additional recommendations on homemade masks that have protection equal to or better than medical masks. Professor Yi Cui, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory also presented about the basic science and standards used to certify medical masks and respirators that health workers wear, how medical masks and respirators protect health workers, current decontamination methods (what works and what does not), common materials found at home that can be used for homemade masks, and a comparison of homemade mask fabric that can perform as well or better than more expensive medical masks (including some Africa-sourced fabrics). Please follow the links posted here to view the recorded video session on ASLM’s YouTube channel, and download the presentation slides from the session.