Decontamination and re-use of surgical masks and respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic increased global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and resulted in shortages. The study evaluated the re-use of surgical masks and respirators by analysing their performance and safety before and after reprocessing using the following methods: oven, thermal drying, autoclave, and hydrogen peroxide plasma vapour.

Methods: In total, 45 surgical masks and 69 respirators were decontaminated.