ELEVATOR TECHNICIAN DESIGNS UV-LIGHT N95 MASK TREATMENT

     A Wellington, Canada, elevator technician has designed an ultraviolet (UV)-light treatment box to allow N95 masks — considered essential personal protective equipment for frontline coronavirus workers — safe to reuse, The Star reported on April 7. The technician, Farkas Baranyai, worked with local partners to assemble two model machines, which he sent to a local healthcare facility and a small hospital. Baranyai said he was inspired by a story in the The New York Times about University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers using UV light to sterilize the masks. The source said Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province could run out of N95 masks in a week amid factors including a temporary ban of imports that halted mask shipments at the U.S.-Canada border. Health authorities have yet to approve the UV sterilization system, but Baranyai observed that “it’s hard to even find the proper channels during a crisis.”