How to deal with discarded medical masks

Regarding the disposal of discarded medical masks, medical personnel, other high-risk groups and ordinary healthy people should follow different disposal procedures respectively. The specific treatment method is as follows:

Masks used by medical staff, patients and their families in hospitals and other medical and health service places should be disposed of in strict accordance with the standards of infectious medical waste. Discard the mask into a specially set discarded mask container. After discarding the mask, disinfect your hands with 75% alcohol in time and thoroughly disinfect them according to the washing method recommended by WHO.

For masks abandoned in high-risk places after close contact with confirmed cases or suspected cases in novel coronavirus, when there is no professional medical waste disposal institution to recycle them, they should be soaked in disinfectant containing available chlorine 1000~2000mg/L, disinfected for 20~30min, discarded, and then thrown into hazardous garbage bins for centralized recycling. After discarding the mask, disinfect your hands with 75% alcohol in time and thoroughly disinfect them according to the washing method recommended by WHO.

For the masks used by ordinary healthy people, they can be put into the special garbage bins for abandoned masks in public places such as communities, and everyone is encouraged to simply disinfect abandoned masks (such as spraying 75% alcohol and disinfectant). ), and disinfect and clean your hands in time after discarding the mask.

Medical mask structure

The structure of medical mask mainly includes three layers: the outermost waterproof layer, the middle electrostatic adsorption layer and the ordinary non-woven fabric layer inside. The general structure of facial mask is SMS three-layer structure or SMMMS five-layer structure. The material used is generally polypropylene (PP), accounting for more than 90%, and its fiber diameter is extremely fine, only 1 to 5 microns.

Polypropylene is a good electret material. The electrostatic adsorption layer in the middle of the mask uses electret principle to capture dust particles through electrostatic force of charge, thus filtering the droplets carrying viruses and particles in the air. Polypropylene also has a more commonly used name: plastic.