So, is anybody reusing facemasks?
Looks like if you use salt, the viruses can be deactivated in 5 minutes and gone in 30 minutes.
Treating ordinary surgical masks with salt makes them capable of trapping and killing viruses like SARS.
www.asianscientist.com
Could make a dilute soap solution, saturate it with salt, soak my coffee filter, dry it and use that.
Or we could just put a thick layer of salt between 2 layers of filter material, like activated charcoal in a gas mask. Just hot glue it up.
I'm indeed "recycling" FFP2 face masks, but the issue is (as usual) far more complex than just giving any mask some "salt coating".
What I'm applying is a generic immersion decontamination.
Face masks that do not function by relying on static charge between multiple layers (immersion decon can't be applied to those, it renders their primary protection nearly useless) are immersed for a Minute in a decontamination fluid.
After being fully soaked, they're cleansed with clean water to wash out the decon fluid. The whole process avoids putting any mechanical stress on them while wet.
Only after being fully dried, they're ready for their normal, short-term use.
When it comes to salt, you'd have to ensure
- the sodium layer is microcrystalline in nature and evenly distributed entirely throughout the mask
- the sodium layer has sufficient absorption volume (range) to cover the intended time of use
- all air is flowing through the microcrystalline sodium
- no air is bypassing and the filtered air is flowing through a i.e. 1 Micron pattern or less
Will be difficult (to say the least) to ensure any of this with anything home-made.
PS.
The US Navy did everything wrong they could. When "the old man" on a Carrier makes such a decision, there should be no "desk jockeys" questioning the motives.
Such a move is only made when all existing chains of support have already failed - repeatedly - forcing the hand of "the old man".
That's why it takes this breed of exceedingly qualified people to effectively command a Carrier Group.
He did what he had to do to protect his crew - even if it went against protocol. Extraordinary times sometimes require extraordinary measures.
That man understood this concept, the Naval Command chain did not. That's why they were not on the bridge of that very Carrier - but this man instead.
Exactly the right guy for the job, he's proven that beyond any doubt and deserves the highest of respect. I can only salute this Commander and tip my hat.
