Manatee Memorial staff say N95 masks are disinfected with UV light, reused up to 5 times
Nurses are speaking out against what they describe as unsafe working conditions at Manatee Memorial Hospital, where administrators are asking staff to reuse N95 masks.
In a memo dated March 30, the hospital told employees that their masks could be reused up to five times thanks to ultraviolet light technology that sanitizes the masks. Nurses are asked to write their names on the mask, as well as how many times it has been cleaned, before placing it in a paper bag and a central collection bin.
But not everyone thinks the method is safe.
“I don’t know the accuracy or effectiveness of it, but this is what they’re using,” said one nurse who spoke with the Bradenton Herald on the condition of anonymity, fearing that speaking out could cost them their job. “I can’t imagine this being sanitary. We’re putting our masks in one bucket and saying it’s now clean.”
“N95 masks can be reused 5 times if placed in a paper bag between use and can be used on multiple COVID-19 (persons under investigation),” the memo stated.
In a March 22 opinion column published in the Bradenton Herald, Manatee Memorial Hospital CEO Kevin DiLallo urged Bradenton-area residents to learn from a country like Italy that went to extremes to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Italy’s challenges can serve as a model, he said, arguing that Manatee County health care providers and the government should remain transparent in their fight against a COVID-19 outbreak.
“At the end of the day, this challenge can be overcome if treated with the right procedures,” DiLallo wrote.
In a statement to the Bradenton Herald on Friday, DiLallo said the hospital’s policy for using a UV light to disinfect N95 masks follows “established guidelines.”
“The document provided denotes the process for how employees need to submit N95 masks to be reprocessed. The disinfection process is completed using a Certified UV Light. We follow the established guidelines for N95 mask reprocessing and conservation,” he wrote.
“The UV Light has a COVID-19 setting for the proper dosage of light that needs to be administered to the mask for it to be disinfected,” he continued.
In a 2015 Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention study, researchers found that the use of ultraviolet light for germicidal irradiation is suitable for N95 masks, and does not meaningfully compromise the flow resistance of the material.
“The ability to disinfect and reuse disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators may be needed during a pandemic of an infectious respiratory disease such as influenza,” researchers wrote.
That research isn’t making nurses feel safer, though.
“I don’t think they’re taking this seriously and treating nurses how they should be treated,” a nurse told the Bradenton Herald. “I don’t mind going to work and trying to save lives, but I need to take care of me first.”
Manatee Memorial’s new policy fits with some of the CDC’s policies for reusing N95 masks. The agency recommends the practice of extended use or reuse, especially during a pandemic, according to a fact sheet posted online.
While there is no exact number of times the masks can be reused, health care workers are asked to take special precautions to ensure the masks are still functioning properly.
Another nurse who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of being fired from their job said N95 masks are typically used for up to two hours before they’re switched out.
Similar concerns have been raised at other Bradenton-area hospitals. Earlier this month, nurses at Blake Medical Center protested outside the hospital to demand better access to personal protective equipment.
Blake staff also said masks, gloves and other gear are in low supply. Some said they were sent home for using their own N95 masks to protect themselves from COVID-19 patients during shifts.
Limited supplies of personal protective equipment has become a nationwide problem, but some organizations are working to alleviate the shortage by creating handmade masks and face shields, or by donating products to medical workers.
