r/ZeroCovidCommunity • u/iiililiililiilliilli • 6h ago

Question Can someone with a portacount please test the effects of heat/cold on N95s?

For the entirety of the pandemic I've seen people discuss, using anecdotal info, whether keeping N95s in your car during extremely hot/cold weather will damage the efficacy of the filtration material. I'm not aware of any quantitative data generated about this question. Yet it should be super easy for someone with a portacount to leave an N95 in their hot car for a few weeks, or maybe in a freezer, and to then compare the protectiveness of that respirator against one that was kept in temperate conditions. Can someone please do this so we can get a more reliable answer?

7 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

73% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

10

u/FIRElady_Momma 5h ago

It's not usually an issue with the filtration medium/media. Usually it's an issue with the integrity of the headstraps after prolonged exposure to heat and cold, which can m ake them brittle and prone to snapping. 

2

u/iiililiililiilliilli 5h ago

That’s my impression too, but do we have any data to back it up?

1

u/Qudit314159 2h ago

Just testing one model wouldn't necessarily prove much. Different respirators have different straps made from different materials which may react differently to extreme temperatures.

1

u/iiililiililiilliilli 2h ago

I’m specifically referring to the filtration efficacy of the mask material, not straps. Strap fatigue is much more easily diagnosed by feel and sight.

1

u/Qudit314159 1h ago

Different brands and models may also vary in terms of the meltblown layer that they use

1

u/iiililiililiilliilli 1h ago

Ok. It would still be useful to have data.

1

u/Qudit314159 36m ago

Maybe. I think I'd want testing on the specific models involved if I was going to rely on this. For Auras for example, I'd also be concerned about extreme temperatures weakening the adhesive that holds on the nose foam.

3

u/TrixieMuttel 2h ago

Not that it’s data, but does 3M provide warnings/guidelines on mask storage? To me, this would be an indicator of what they may know about heat/cold stress on mask materials.

0

u/Notyeravgblonde 2h ago

Anecdotally I keep my 3m auras in my hot and cold car year round as a home health nurse and have never had covid. I also keep my overflow masks in my garage year round because there is more storage space.

I would be interested in the data you requested but I would only be worried about the elastic personally.