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Self-cleaning mask can kill viruses with heat from phone charger, researchers say

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Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/06/17/20200617-reusable-face-mask-israel-rtr.jpg"/><figcaption>An Israeli researcher, part of a team which say they have invented a reusable face mask that can disinfect itself and kill the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), takes part in a demonstration for Reuters at a laboratory in Haifa, northern Israel June 10, 2020. Amir Cohen, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>HAIFA, Israel - 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 fibers to 70 degrees Celsius (158 Fahrenheit), high enough to kill viruses.Ein-Eli said disposable masks, in high demand globally during the health crisis, were not economically or environmentally friendly.&quot;You have to make it reusable and friendly, and this is our solution,&quot; he said.Professor Allon Moses, an infectious diseases expert at Jerusalem&#x27;s Hadassah Medical Center, said there was &quot;no question&quot; that a half hour&#x27;s exposure to 70-degree heat would kill the coronavirus.But he cautioned that repeated heating could &quot;damage the mask&#x27;s paper or fabric and spoil its ability to protect from diseases in the future&quot;.During testing, the prototype was exposed to 20 heating cycles, each for half an hour, with no impact on durability, Ein-Eli said.&quot;We can guarantee it up to a few dozen cycles, without any risk,&quot; 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 commercializing 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.

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.

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.