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Bavaria already has it, according to previous information, the federal government also wants it: the FFP2 mask requirement.
If only FFP2 masks are allowed to be worn on public transport and in the supermarket soon, there could be bottlenecks in supply.
In addition, FFP2 masks are more expensive than other disposable masks.
A team of scientists from the Münster University of Applied Sciences and the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster has therefore published an information brochure that explains how FFP2 masks can be worn more than once.
Read the original brochure here.
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The researchers emphasize that this does not apply to the medical sector, where the masks are used in areas with a particularly high risk of infection.
In everyday life, however, multiple use of the masks is quite conceivable - if you pay attention to a few things.
How do I wear the mask correctly?
Before you even take the FFP2 mask out of its packaging, you should wash your hands long and thoroughly with soap.
The mask should then be put on as tightly as possible.
Above all, the nasal clip must be pressed on.
If the mask is not in direct contact with the face, it will not provide the best possible protection.
This is the case, for example, with beards, as Peter Paszkiewicz from the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Statutory Accident Insurance (IFA) explains: "Beards or scarring in the area of the mask seal impair the protective effect of FFP2 masks."
For multiple beard world champion Jürgen Burkhardt, the FFP2 mask should not provide maximum protection
Source: dpa
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The correct fit of the mask can best be checked by inhaling: the mask should be sucked on to the face when breathing.
When taking off the mask, the front of the mask must never be touched as it can be infectious.
It is best to remove the mask with the help of the straps and then wash your hands again.
How long can i wear the mask?
There are no guidelines or recommendations regarding the maximum wearing time of FFP2 masks in everyday life.
Occupational safety stipulates a maximum continuous wearing time of 75 minutes for employees, as the Robert Koch Institute explains.
How often can i wear the mask?
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According to the information brochure, FFP2 masks can be worn once a week for a period of five weeks without complex cleaning steps.
It should be noted that the mask is really only worn again after seven days.
Then the amount of infectious coronaviruses would be reduced by an "acceptable level", as the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, which supports the research project in Münster, writes.
How long do I have to wait to reuse a mask?
The scientists propose a sophisticated system for this: a row of seven nails should be attached to each person in the household - with enough space between the rows and between the nails.
Each of the nails is labeled with a weekday and is therefore reserved for a mask.
Source: WORLD infographic
After wearing the Monday mask, you hang it on your Monday nail and don't wear it again until the following Monday.
This cycle can be repeated up to five times without losing the protection of the FFP2 mask.
Earlier replacement is only recommended for particularly intensive use or if you have been “coughed up”.
The one-week “drying” of the masks should not take place in the kitchen or bathroom - because of the high humidity - and also not over or in the immediate vicinity of a heater.
Sars-CoV-2 pathogens feel particularly comfortable at temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees, and even multiply.
The nails should therefore be attached in the hallway or living room, but in any case out of the reach of children.
How do I clean a mask in the oven?
One way to reuse masks more quickly is the oven - it can also heat several masks at the same time.
However, disinfection with heat is more complicated and therefore more error-prone.
First of all, the FFP2 masks have to "pre-dry" for a day - the same applies here: not in the kitchen or bathroom, not near or over a heater.
They can only be heated in the oven 24 hours after they have been used, so that they can be used again.
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The oven must be preheated to 80 degrees top / bottom heat.
It is unclear whether the same effect is achieved with circulating air, according to the brochure from Münster.
The right temperature is absolutely essential: if the oven is not hot enough, the mask can remain infectious.
If the oven is too hot, the mask can be damaged.
From 95 degrees there is a risk of deformation of dimensionally stable masks, from 105 degrees even the filter performance of the mask can decrease.
Since the temperature settings in ovens are very imprecise, a roasting thermometer with the masks should be placed in the oven.
The masks have to "bake" for one hour at 80 degrees so that they can be reused.
The oven must not be opened during the entire “baking time”.
Heating is only recommended for FFP2 masks without a valve, as the valve would be damaged if it was hot and the filtering effect of the mask would be impaired.
Even masks without a valve should be examined for breaks and other damage after heating and, if in doubt, should not be reused.
The FFP2 mask must be disposed of after the fifth heating at the latest.
Can I use other “home remedies”?
The research group from Münster warns against trying home remedies for cleaning FFP2 masks.
Neither saucepans, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines nor UV lamps are suitable for disinfection.
For different reasons: While washing machines and dishwashers represent major “mechanical and chemical loads” due to the vigorous cleaning processes and the detergents used, which make the mask unusable, a UV lamp is too weak to protect the mask from viruses that are below the surface sit, free.
Cooking in the saucepan and cleaning in the microwave cause material damage to FFP2 masks, which could impair the protective effect.
The scientists also point out that a mask should only be worn by the same person even after cleaning.
This is how expensive the required FFP2 protection is
In Bavaria, an FFP2 mask is mandatory in all local public transport and when shopping from Monday.
However, some pharmacies charge exorbitant prices for mouth and nose protection.
Source: WORLD / Alina Quast