Israeli researchers say they have invented a reusable face mask that can kill the coronavirus with heat by drawing power from a mobile phone charger.
The disinfecting process takes about 30 minutes - and users should not wear the mask while it is plugged in, said Professor Yair Ein-Eli, who led the research team at Technion University in Haifa.
The new mask has a USB port that connects to a power source such as a standard cellphone charger that heats an inner layer of carbon fibres to 70C, high enough to kill viruses.
Ein-Eli said disposable masks, in high demand globally during the health crisis, were not economically or environmentally friendly.
“You have to make it reusable and friendly, and this is our solution,” he said.
Professor Allon Moses, an infectious diseases expert at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Centre, said there was “no question” that a half hour’s exposure to 70C heat would kill the coronavirus.
But he cautioned that repeated heating could “damage the mask’s paper or fabric and spoil its ability to protect from diseases in the future”.
During testing, the prototype was exposed to 20 heating cycles, each for half-an-hour, with no impact on durability, Ein-Eli said.
“We can guarantee it up to a few dozen cycles, without any risk,” he added.
The prototype looks like a standard N95 face mask, with a valve at the front and bands to hold it in place around the head.
The researchers submitted a patent for the mask in the United States in late March and say they are discussing commercialising the product with the private sector.
It will likely sell at a $1 premium over the price of a typical disposable face mask, the researchers say.
Meanwhile, Israel has signed an agreement with Moderna Inc for the future purchase of its potential Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech firm last week confirmed plans to start a trial of 30,000 volunteers of its much-anticipated vaccine in July as the company enters the final stages of testing.
It is one of several vaccines being tested around the world as drugmakers race to combat the pandemic.
There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for Covid-19.
“Israel has signed with the company Moderna an arrangement that will allow us to buy vaccines,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.
from Gulf Times https://ift.tt/2N6Odij
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