The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued updated guidance this month related to its emergency use authorizations for N95 respirator decontamination systems. The authorization now limits respirator reuse to no more than four times. The change is based on an agency review of studies, which found the real-world use of such systems could eventually degrade the filters and warp the structure of N95 masks causing them to fail. Earlier in the pandemic, the FDA allowed masks to be reprocessed up to 20 times in response to shortages of personal protective equipment. (FierceBiotech article, 1/25/21)
