FDA Provides Additional Guidance on Decontaminating Respirators

Due to widespread confusion as to which N95 respirators can be safely decontaminated and reused, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reissued specific emergency use authorizations (EUA) to clearly delineate ones that should not be decontaminated. The new EUAs specify that N95 masks made in China should not be decontaminated or resused due to data showing they vary widely in design and performance, nor should N95 masks with exhalation valves. The FDA reiterates that decontaminated respirators should only be used when new ones are not available. Read more here.