Can you reuse FFP2 masks? What you need to know

Photo: Pixabay / CC0 / lifetesterdotnet

As of today, FFP2 masks are mandatory in Bavaria. Here you can find out how to reuse the masks, where to get them and how to spot fakes.

From Monday, January 18th, 2021, you can only shop in Bavaria with an FFP2 mask and use local public transport. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced this last Tuesday after a cabinet meeting. The aim is to improve safety in local public transport and in retail. FFP2 masks are now easily available and in abundance.

Buy FFP2 mask “Made in EU” at memolife.de **

The new regulation is controversial among politicians, also because the masks are relatively expensive single-use products. The Left Chair Katja Kipping criticized, among other things, the high costs: “An FFP2 obligation to provide without masks means in practice: poor people are completely excluded from public life”.

FFP2 masks are not intended to be used more than once. However, this could become inevitable for reasons of cost and availability. The Münster University of Applied Sciences (FH Münster) and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU Münster) have examined the extent to which FFP2 masks can be reused and their results in one Info brochure summarized.

Can you reuse FFP2 masks?

FFP2 masks are single use products and are not intended to be reused. Typically, you should only use them for eight hours. Because the masks are electrically charged and this charge wears off over time.

The research team from the FH and WWU Münster expects that FFP2 masks, which are used for private use, are less contaminated with pathogens. If you want to reuse the mask, please note the following:

  • Do not share your mask with anyone, such as family members. Because: Wearers: inside the mask, pathogens from their own nasal, throat and skin flora leave behind, which cannot be completely inactivated by the methods presented.
  • FFP2 masks cannot be washed, boiled, or cleaned in the microwave. Among other things, this could severely impair the filter performance.
  • Always hold the masks by the elastic bands.

There are two methods to disinfect FFP2 masks:

Method 1: At 80 degrees in the oven

According to the investigations by the research team from Münster, SARS-CoV-2 pathogens are safely inactivated on the mask material after 60 minutes at 80 degrees. Other pathogens are significantly reduced. However, pathogens in the nose, throat and skin flora can still be present on the mask – therefore it should always from the same person be used. The filter performance is retained; only the elastic bands can become less elastic over time.

Danger: The temperature should be exactly 80 degrees. SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious at below 70 degrees. At over 105 degrees the mask and its filter performance can be damaged. This method is not suitable for models with valves and dimensionally stable masks (cup model).

mask filter
Note: FFP2 masks with filters only protect you, but not others. (Photo: Pixabay / CC0 / ren_mch)

This is how you do it:

  1. Mark who is using which mask on the straps. To do this, you can, for example, use felt-tip pens to put points in different colors on the rubber bands.
  2. Stretch a string or clothesline in a place where nothing else is hanging and out of the reach of children. Use clothespins to hang the FFP2 masks on the elastic bands and let them dry for at least a day.
  3. Set the oven to 80 degrees top and bottom heat. Important: It’s best to use a roasting or oven thermometer to make sure the temperature doesn’t fluctuate. According to measurements made by the research team, the actual temperature of an oven can fluctuate widely.
  4. Line a clean oven rack with parchment paper and place the dry masks on top.
  5. Once the oven has preheated, you can put the masks in the oven for an hour. It is best to use the middle rail so that the masks have sufficient distance to the top and bottom. Don’t open the oven in between.
  6. Then you can take the grid out of the oven and let the masks cool down on it. According to the brochure, you should disinfect the masks a maximum of five times and then dispose of them in the household waste.

Method 2: Dry for seven days in room air

The team from the Münster University of Applied Sciences and University of Münster advises letting masks dry for at least seven days before wearing them again. During this period, the number of pathogens on the masks should decrease considerably. You do this as follows:

  1. Attach the masks Nails, hooks or a clothesline on. Attach these to a free wall where nobody can accidentally come into contact with the masks. There should be enough space for seven masks per person that don’t touch each other. In addition, the place should not be too damp, which is why the kitchen and bathroom are excluded.
  2. After wearing a mask, you hang it on the hook provided for you and the corresponding day of the week. Let them dry there for seven days and use the rest of the masks during this time. It is best to mark the masks accordingly on the elastic band (person, day of the week).
  3. After five weeks, the research team recommends disposing of the masks in the household waste and replacing them with new ones. If you notice any defects beforehand, you should replace the FFP2 masks immediately.

Note: Hang FFP2 masks Not to dry over / on the heater. Because temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees Celsius offer bacteria and fungi optimal growth conditions, warn the scientists from Münster.

What are FFP2 masks?

FFP masks or particle-filtering half masks protect the wearer: inside from droplets and aerosols, explains the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). FFP2 masks filter at least 94 percent of aerosols from the air, FFP3 masks 99 percent. So they primarily serve to protect yourself. This distinguishes them from mouth and nose covers and medical face masks, which are primarily intended to protect the surrounding area from infection.

Danger: It’s best to buy an FFP2 mask without a valve. Models with a valve only protect wearers: inside, but not the environment.

Are there enough FFP2 masks?

This is what the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder assumes. “The availability in the trade is sufficiently guaranteed, so there is no shortage of FFP2”, he announced at the press conference last Tuesday. Thomas Metz from the Bavarian Pharmacists Association confirmed to the Bavarian radio: “I am assuming that the pharmacies are very well stocked or can handle the logistics very quickly to get FFP2 masks even in the short time.”

Where can I buy FFP2 masks?

FFP2 masks are available in drug stores, pharmacies and online, among others. They cost between three and six euros, and packs of several masks are often cheaper than individual products. However, not all offers are tested models. Sometimes defective or counterfeit FFP2 masks are also sold.

mouth guard ffp2
The FFP2 mask ITAPROTECT is made in Italy. (Screenshot: Memolife)

FFP2 masks from European production you can find for example at **Memolife. The ITAPROTECT mask available there (without valve) is made in Italy. According to the manufacturer, it is certified according to EU standards EN149: 2001 + A1: 2009 and bears the CE mark with test number 0477. It costs a mask

  • individually 3.29 euros,
  • ten masks cost 2.99 euros each
  • and 100 masks cost € 2.79 each.

Buy FFP2 mask “Made in EU” at memolife.de **

How do I recognize tested FFP2 masks?

The information on the packaging can provide information as to whether the products are tested.

Tested FFP2 masks must meet the following criteria:

  • Name of manufacturer or brand, address
  • CE mark and four-digit test number (You can find the number on the website the European Commission.)
  • Number and year of publication of the European standard: DIN marking EN 149: 2009-08

Note: Masks that have been tested according to the Chinese standard carry the designation KN95. You may not have to meet the criteria if you have undergone a special approval or a short test from an approved body. In that case, you should receive a corresponding certificate with the purchase.

You can find out which FFP2 masks have already been identified as fakes in the Database the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Am I entitled to free FFP2 masks?

From December 15, 2020 to January 6, 2021, members of risk groups could pick up free FFP2 masks in pharmacies. Afterwards, authorized persons should receive two forgery-proof coupons in the mail, which they can exchange for six masks each, with an own contribution of two euros. According to the Techniker Krankenkasse the following groups:

  1. People aged 75 and over
  2. People aged 70 and over and people with certain chronic diseases
  3. People over 60 years

The delivery should take place in the course of January, but the shipping has been slow so far, it can be closed Delays come.

Read more on Techzle.com:

  • Coronavirus: These popular hand sanitizers do not protect
  • Because of the coronavirus: 9 tips on how to make good use of your time at home
  • Corona times: How you can now shop online sensibly

GET THE UTOPIA NEWSLETTER


Recent Articles

Related Stories

Stay on op - Ge the daily news in your inbox