I'm no expert, but it should be understood that the instructions clearly indicate that these masks are disposable and, ideally, single-use. Because of the shortage, they're trying to bring in all kinds of means that have not been proven effective. In Quebec, the Association paritaire pour la santé et la sécurité du travail du secteur affaires sociales, the ASSTSAS, and the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, the IRSST, disagree completely on disinfection in this manner.
While not all of the masks come from 3M, the company issued a news release stating that it has been studying disinfection for several years and no method has met their four criteria in terms of the filtration, the elastics and the materials. As a result, they have not approved any method. 3M has been trying to do this for several years.
Some employers in Quebec want to start disinfecting masks, but before we get to that point—again, I'm not an expert—we are advocating extended use of the N95. If a healthcare professional has to go into an intensive care room four or five times, of course, they can't use five different masks. We understand that. If the technique used to remove the mask and put it back on is appropriate, we recommend that the nurse or respiratory therapist use the same mask for a full shift, rather than using masks disinfected with a method that has not been proven effective.