>>> WE ARE BACK WITH AN NBC NEWS
INVESTIGATION ABOUT THE SAFETY
OF OUR NATION’S FRONT-LINE
WORKERS AND NEW QUESTIONS
SURROUNDING THOSE N-95 MASKS
THAN BEING DECONTAMINATED SO
THEY CAN BE WORN OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
>> SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE
PANDEMIC, HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN
DEALING WITH THESE ONGOING
SHORTAGES OF THE MASKS.
NBC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE AND
CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT VICKY
NGUYEN HAS MORE ON WHAT HAS SOME
NURSES SO CONCERNED RIGHT NOW.
>> Reporter: THOUSANDS OF NURSES
NATIONWIDE SOUNDING THE ALARM
ABOUT REUSING N-95 RESPIRATORS.
>> AND THIS IS WHAT WE’RE
SUPPOSED TO FEEL PROTECTED IN.
>> Reporter: RICK LUCAS IS A
RAPID RESPONSE NURSE IN OHIO AND
TAKES CARE OF SOME OF THE
SICKEST COVID-19 PATIENTS.
>> IT’S SO UNSETTLING AND SO
DISHEARTENING.
>> Reporter: TO COMBAT ONGOING
MASK SHORTAGES, HIS HOSPITAL AND OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE
OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE
TAKING UNPRECEDENTED ACTION.
THEY’RE REUSING N-95 MASKS AFTER
DECONTAMINATING THEM WITH
CHEMICALS OR UV LIGHT.
A STUDY OF NURSES FOUND 58% ARE
REQUIRED TO REUSE THEIR MASKS
AND 53% SAID USING
DECONTAMINATED MASKS MAKES THEM
FEEL UNSAFE.
AT LUCAS’ HOSPITAL NURSES ARE
TOELDS TO REUSE THEIR N-95 FIVE
TIMES BEFORE THEY’RE
DECONTAMINATED.
>> WHAT’S THE CONDITION WHEN
THEY COME BACK TO YOU TO BE
REUSED?
>> Reporter: THERE’S TWO ELASTIC
BANDS ON THE BACK THAT SOMETIMES
SNAP.
THEY’RE STAINED.
>> Reporter: HE SENT PICTURES OF
N-95s THAT HAVE BEEN
DECONTAMINATED.
HE SAID THEY’RE VISIBLY SOILED
AND THEY NO LONGER FIT SECURELY.
IN A STATEMENT LUCAS’ HOSPITAL
TOLD NBC NEWS THAT ANY MASKS
THAT ARE DIRTY OR DAMAGED AFTER
REPROCESSING CAN BE THROWN OUT.
>> THE STUDY IS THE QUESTION OF
IS THE MASK SAFE.
>> Reporter: HE STUDIED SCIENCE
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MASSACHUSETTS.
>> WHAT WERE THE FINDINGS OF
YOUR RESEARCH.
>> Reporter: SOME DO DAMAGE
MASKS AND SOME DON’T.
>> HE TESTED 80 MASKS
DECONTAMINATED BY METHODS
INCLUDING UV LIGHT, HYDROGEN
PEROXIDE AND BLEACH.
>> SO THE MORE PARTICLES THAT
GET THROUGH IS MORE VIRUS THAT
CAN GET THROUGH.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
>> THESE TWO MASKS LOOK
IDENTICAL, THEY FEEL IDENTICAL.
I CAN’T SEE ANY VISIBLE DAMAGE.
>> RIGHT.
IT’S DANGEROUS.
HEALTH CARE WORKERS GRABBING
THESE OFF THE SHELF DON’T HAVE
THE TIME OR ABILITY TO EVALUATE
WHETHER THE MASK IS FUNCTIONAL
OR NOT.
>> Reporter: HE AND THE LARGEST
NURSES UNION IN THE COUNTRY SAY
THEY’RE CONCERNED WITH THE
DECONTAMINATION METHOD DONE BY
BATTELLE WHO DECONTAMINATES
HUNDREDS OF MASKS AT A TIME.
BUT THEY OFFER 1 OF 12 GIVEN
EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION AND THE
ONLY COMPANY TO GET A FEDERAL
CONTRACT WORTH $400 MILLION.
IT ALLOWS THEM TO OFFER THEIR
SERVICES FOR FREE TO HOSPITALS.
>> I SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING
AT BATTELLE’S MATERIALS.
>> Reporter: JANE IS WITH
NATIONAL NURSES UNITED AND
SPECIALIZES IN HEALTH AND
SAFETY.
SHE REVIEWED MULTIPLE STUDIES ON
DECONTAMINATION METHODS.
SHE SAID HEALTH CARE WORKERS
HAVE REPORTED PROBLEMS LINKED TO
BATTELLE’S DECONTAMINATED MASKS.
>> THEY REPORT SKIN IRRITATION,
EVEN APPROACHING THE LEVEL OF
CHEMICAL BURN.
>> Reporter: THE FDA SENT
BATTELLE A WARNING LETTER SAYING
THE COMPANY HASN’T BEEN PROPERLY
REPORTING ADVERSE EVENTS.
BATTELLE DECLINED TO BE
INTERVIEWED ON CAMERA BUT SAID
THE COMPLAINTS THEY LOGGED ARE A
FRACTION OF THE PERCENT OF THE
3.2 MILLION MASKS THEY HAVE
DECONTAMINATED.
THE COMPANY HAS CONDUCTED
NUMEROUS STUDIES AND FOUND NO
ISSUES WITH FIT OR PERFORMANCE
AND THAT MASKS CAN BE
DECONTAMINATED MORE THAN 50
TIMES AND STILL BE SAFE.
EL PASO, TEXAS, NURSE YVONNE
SAYS BATTELLE DECONTAMINATES 200
MASKS A WEEK AT HER HOSPITAL AND
SO FAR NO ISSUES HAVE BEEN
REPORTED.
>> DOING THE DECONTAMINATION
PROCESS WITH BATTELLE IS
EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL TO NOT ONLY
MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE LEVELS FOR
PPE BUT ALSO TO GIVE A LEVEL OF
CONFIDENCE FOR YOUR WORKFORCE.
>> Reporter: MEANWHILE, PELTIER
SAID BATTELLE DECLINED TO GIVE
SAMPLES OF HIS MASKS TO BE
TESTED.
HE MANAGED TO TEST SOME HE
OBTAINED FROM HEALTH CARE
WORKERS BUT SAID THE SAMPLE WAS
TOO SMALL FOR MEANINGFUL
RESULTS.
>> WE DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE
GOING TO FAIL RIGHT AWAY OR FAIL
OVER TIME.
AS SCIENTISTS WE HAVE TO PROTECT
THOSE PUTTING THEMSELVES IN
HARM’S WAY.
>> Reporter: NATIONAL NURSES
UNITED SAYS IT WANTS TO USE
PLASTIC RESPIRATORS THAT WERE
DESIGNED TO BE REUSABLE AND
CLEANED INSTEAD OF THESE
DECONTAMINATED N-95 MASKS.
MEANWHILE, BATTELLE TELLS US
THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE FDA TO
ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT WERE
RAISED IN THAT WARNING LETTER.
THE COMPANY SAYS THIS PROCESS
WAS ALWAYS INTENDED TO BE A
STOP-GAP MEASURE UNTIL SUPPLY
CHAINS FOR PPE RETURNED TO
NORMAL.
BY THE WAY, PETER AND KRISTEN,
WE DID REACH OUT TO THE THREE
LARGEST MAKERS OF N-95 MASKS.
THEY ALL TOLD US THAT THESE
N-95s WERE MADE TO BE SINGLE USE
PRODUCTS.
KRISTEN AND PETER.
>> VICKY NGUYEN, THANK YOU.
WHAT AN IMPORTANT REPORT.
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS
MANY MONTHS INTO THE PANDEMIC WE
ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT
FRONT-LINE WORKERS REUSING
MASKS.
>> THIS IS A CONVERSATION WE HAD
IN MARCH AND THE IDEA THAT IT’S
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, AND WE’RE