As Deep Cleaning Increases with COVID-19, Researchers Aim to Identify Which Disinfectants and Masks Work Best Together

The spread of coronavirus has spurred massive efforts to consistently disinfect everything from office buildings to schools to city buses. New cross-discipline research from the Cockrell School of Engineering aims to help minimize exposure to chemical byproducts created during the cleaning process by finding optimal combinations of protective masks and disinfectants. Breathing on masks makes them wetter, and the combination with cleaning chemicals alters the chemistry of the masks. These changes could create byproducts that are more harmful than the cleaning chemicals themselves, the researchers say.