They Developed Self-Cleaning Masks For Healthcare Professionals

Dr. Osman Doluca, who worked as a Faculty Lecturer at the same faculty with Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Izmir University of Economics, Prof. Dr. Yasar Güneri Sahin, started to develop masks 2 months ago for the healthcare workers to fight the Covid-19 outbreak in the first phase.

Considering that healthcare professionals work long hours in hospitals and especially intensive care units, Sahin and Doluca continued to work on a self-cleaning mask that can be used without removing it for longer periods of time.

The mask, which is developed using the "polylactic acid" material and weighs about 80 grams, is produced with a 3D printer, while sterilization of the filters is provided by slightly larger ultraviolet leds than lentils placed in the double air duct.

Ultraviolet LEDs, which are activated every 30 minutes in the developed mask, kills 99 percent of viruses and bacteria accumulated in the filters in 29 seconds.

Professor Dr. Yasar Güneri Sahin, in a statement to AA correspondent, said that as scientists, they have developed such a mask to support healthcare workers fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stating that they create two air channels in their masks for the healthcare workers to breathe comfortably, Sahin stated, "In our researches, we have determined that ultraviolet LEDs are not used in any mask. We used very small size ultraviolet LEDs in the mask we developed. The ultraviolet LEDs are activated for 30 seconds in every 30 minutes, neutralizing live viruses and bacteria accumulated in the filters. "

Şahin stated that thanks to the self-cleaning mask they developed, they reduced their filter replacement costs and prevented contamination that may occur during filter replacement.

"Can be used without removing"

Explaining that the health personnel who tried the mask they developed were satisfied, Sahin said:

"Since it has a double air duct, health workers who work for a long time can breathe easily. Thanks to the 6-volt batteries with a life span of about 15 days, healthcare workers can use this mask without removing it for 24 hours. We applied to the Patent Authority of Turkey to get the design protection.

The system we developed also has the feature that can be applied on many masks.In other countries, this work began in the past months and they offered a few products, but no fully usable product has emerged yet."