Hospitals nationwide are facing shortages of the N95 masks used to protect doctors and nurses from exposure to COVID-19. Some Arizona doctors are developing a new alternative.
Phoenix’s Barrow Innovation Center, part of the Barrow Neurological Institute, is developing a protective mask that can be made with a 3D printer. The masks are plastic and use a snap-on cartridge that can filter out 99% of particulates. Dr. Michael Lawton with Barrow said they’re also studier than N95 masks.
“You don’t just use these once as a single use and then discard them, you have the ability to use these over and over for a three-month period,” Lawton said.
The lab has the ability to produce about 80 of these masks per day at a cost of about $20 each. The lab is hoping for emergency authorization from the FDA to fast-track production.
