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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Single-use N95 respirators can be decontaminated and used again, study finds: Scientists hope new methods can mitigate the chronic shortage of personal protective equipment:

N95 respirators, which are widely worn by health care workers treating patients with COVID-19 and are designed to be used only once, can be decontaminated effectively and used up to three times, according to research by UCLA scientists and colleagues.

An early-release version of their study has been published online, with the full study to appear in September in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

[...] "Although N95 respirators are designed for just one use before disposal, in times of shortage, N95 respirators can be decontaminated and reused up to three times," said James Lloyd-Smith, a co-author of the study and a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. "But the integrity of the respirator's fit and seal must be maintained."

[...] The masks treated with vaporized hydrogen peroxide experienced no failures, suggesting they potentially could be reused three times, Lloyd-Smith said. Those treated with ultraviolet light and dry heat began showing fit and seal problems after three decontaminations, suggesting these respirators potentially could be reused twice.

The study authors concluded that vaporized hydrogen peroxide was the most effective method because no traces of the virus could be detected after only a 10-minute treatment. They found that ultraviolet light and dry heat are also acceptable decontamination procedures, as long as the methods are applied for at least 60 minutes.

Journal Reference:
Robert J. Fischer, Dylan H. Morris, Neeltje van Doremalen, et al. Effectiveness of N95 Respirator Decontamination and Reuse against SARS-CoV-2 Virus, (DOI: 10.3201/eid2609.201524)

Original Submission