Expiration Ethics

August 1, 2023 10:49 AM

An organization I'm working with has a large quantity of expired NIOSH N95 masks that they would like to not just dump in a landfill. What are our ethical options?

We're exploring whether there are any legit recyclers (we know about Terracycle and VIDA, but are not sure if they are really recycling masks). If you know of any legit recyclers of masks, please let me know.

We're also wondering if there are any ethical ways to give these away. There are some studies that show expired masks still retain significant effectiveness, so would it be okay? Are there circumstances in which an expired mask might still be of use to someone?

posted by brookeb to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

They are extremely likely to be perfectly fine, if there aren't any obvious broken straps, holes, or mold growing in them. The studies on expired masks confirming them as fine* have been conducted by NIOSH which is the government organization that literally defines what an N95 is and is the only organization qualified to certify them as N95. Age does not damage what is literally woven plastic.

That's the easy part of your question.

No one really wants N95s right now, even non-expired ones. They're being dumped on Amazon for pennies on the dollar, and in dumpsters. Corporations cannot accept or use expired product. If you had the time, you could just post on the usual Facebook Marketplace / Craislist / Nextdoor and see who will take them (for free). Or offer to ship them to somewhere currently being hit by wildfire smoke. Possibly save them for next year's potential wildfire season.

* NPPTL Respirator Assessments to Support the COVID-19 Response
posted by meowzilla at 11:10 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

I can't imagine that these masks have suffered even slightly. Most expiration dates on medical gear are insanely conservative. It's not obvious what could change to make them less effective. It's kind of like suggesting that a shirt might become unwearable due to some invisible change. If you're worried about legality, don't use them. If it's ethics, I suggest that treating something as waste because a date was selected largely to make you buy more is the opposite of the ethical course.
If you can find anyone who wants them, give them away.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 11:11 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

N95s go quickly on my local Buy Nothing site - some people want them for themselves, and at least a couple of people locally keep Little Free Pantries stocked with masks, which seem to get taken regularly. I would guess that even with a clear notice about the expiration date, you might still find takers. Possibly not at the quantity you're looking to get rid of, but who knows, the effort of making a post is low so it might be worth a shot.
posted by Stacey at 11:15 AM on August 1, 2023 [10 favorites]

Your local makerspace or woodworking studio may be an option. Masks are useful when doing anything that creates sawdust.
posted by mochapickle at 11:26 AM on August 1, 2023 [9 favorites]

Sounds like they work fine to mitigate disease risk. If you ship them to me in Portland I’ll get them in the hands of high risk low income queer and trans people here.
posted by Gymnopedist at 11:31 AM on August 1, 2023 [12 favorites]

Clarification questions: 1) how many is "a large quantity" (e.g.: a few dozen masks? or a few dozen pallets?), and 2) are you able to share your general location? I imagine that useful answers may depend on this information.
posted by mhum at 12:00 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Large quantity = over 200 new in boxes, never opened, stored in dry and cool conditions.
Location = Seattle/Puget Sound region
posted by brookeb at 12:10 PM on August 1, 2023

There are still significant numbers of people isolating / immunocompromised / etc who I know would love those masks.

'Still COVIDing' groups are on Facebook and such, who could link you up to those in need of them. I see posts on there of some people buying in bulk to help distribute more locally.

Personally I'm still buying N95's around $3 a mask in Aotearoa New Zealand. I'd love to find them for pennies here!
posted by many-things at 12:25 PM on August 1, 2023 [6 favorites]

Ask your local independent natural food store if they want them. I bet they'll take them to give away; a lot of retail staff, particularly at health food stores and so on, are still really consistent about wearing them. I have a family member who works at one here and he would snap them up, expiration date or no expiration date.
posted by mygothlaundry at 12:27 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yeah, 200 is honestly a small amount (all of them can be shipped in a single box) and it sounds like you have enough people here willing to take them. If you're super nice you can list the manufacturer/model/size.
posted by meowzilla at 12:27 PM on August 1, 2023

Yeah if I were in your area I would scoop these up with no qualms whatever. I suspect a lot of the ones I’ve been buying were probably nearly expired or had been improperly stored since about half of them snap the ear loops off the first time you put them on. I assure you, people still want them and are not super concerned about the expiration.
posted by toodleydoodley at 12:36 PM on August 1, 2023

Those masks are great even for non-critical uses. I'm a woodworker and would use it when sanding or using sprays, for example.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:40 PM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have bunch of expired FFP2 masks (and I mean really expired, 10+ years old) and I’m using them as dust masks when deep cleaning. They’re still perfectly good for that purpose, even if I wouldn’t use them to mitigate disease spread.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:38 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]