ITHACA, N.Y.(WENY)-- As the Corona Virus evolves so do the masks.  UK Chemist and Director of Pharm2Farm developed a mask that can kill COVID-19 upon impact. 

Dr. Gareth Cave, professor at Nottingham Trent University and Director of Pharm2farm, was teaching at Nottingham Trent University when the pandemic hit and everything got shut down. Throughout Europe, Dr.Cave noticed that a large number of citizens were reluctant to wear masks, so he decided to embark on a project with the help of his team at Pharm2Farm to invert a mask that kills COVID-19. 

“We created a mask that could not only trap the virus-like the normal one but will actually kill the virus and continue to kill the virus over a seven-hour period,” said Cave. 

The masks were made to be affordable for everyone and are expected to cost around $1.50 per mask. These masks are not meant to be used multiple times and only guaranteed to kill the virus for seven hours. 

COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets. When someone coughs, sneezes, talks, shouts or sings these respiratory droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. This is where masks come in, since the beginning of the pandemic masks has been found to be very effective in stopping the spread of the virus, by blocking these droplets from exiting the face covering. 

When the pandemic hit it was found that the virus could survive on surfaces such as glass and stainless steel for days, but on copper, the virus dies instantly. This was not new information, copper can be documented killing various viruses such as Middle East respiratory Syndrome and Swine Flu, throughout the last few decades. 

The organization Pharm2Farm based in the United Kingdom had been known for working with nanotechnologies and prior to the pandemic, had already developed nanotechnology containing copper. 

“We were actually manufacturing copper particles as supplements for animal food, so copper is essential in a lot of different diets, whether they are in plants, animals, or farmed animals,” said Cave. 

The company then decided to use their copper nanotechnology and combine it with the surgical style masks. Normal surgical masks will trap the virus either on the outside or inside of the mask and leave an opportunity for passive transmission. It was  Dr. Cave and his team's goal to eliminate this opportunity for passive transmission by killing the virus. 

“I wanted to put something in a place where we could actually deactivate the virus, then the idea came, can we apply this copper, this nanoparticle, this antiviral material to the facemask,” said Cave. 

Dr. Cave and his team tested the nanotechnology for a total of seven hours, to ensure its longevity and proceeded by buying their own production equipment that would allow them to produce masks right there in the UK, so they wouldn't have to worry about the quality. 

“These masks kill the virus, not only trap the virus but kill the virus over a seven-hour period, now we tested for seven hours, many people ask us why seven hours, to be fair that was just the maximum time the testing house could do for us and my expectation is that it kills the virus much longer after that period but that was the maximum certification,” said Cave. 

Health professional and founder of Absolute EHS, Samantha Lushtak said this mask and the technology behind it is very promising but she worries that masks like the one created by Dr. Cave and his team will make people more lackadaisical.  

“If we are saying that copper is this antimicrobial cure-all, I do have concerns that people are going to think this mask is going to allow them to be indoors, or this mask is going to allow them to be closer than six feet,” said Lushtak. 

Lushtak is in support of this mask but she said the community needs to remember the rules we have been following since the beginning of the pandemic,  otherwise, she said the health care system will continue to be overwhelmed. 

“If there is one company that has an additional copper inlay filter, absolutely I think it is great but we just have to remember it is still a one-time use mask, we still should not be reusing PPE, we still need to be diligent,” said Lushtak. 

These masks are expected to hit the market in the UK within the next two weeks and Dr. Cave said they have two versions of the mask, the original that contains five layers( fluid repellent layer, 1st layer, Antiviral nanotech layer, 2nd filter layer, Hypoallergenic hydrophilic layer) and a newer version that contains four layers, dropping a filtration layer. 

“That makes it slightly more breathable in terms of breathability and so it is a more comfortable mask,” said Cave. 

Dr. Cave and his team plan to continue down the road of innovation and in the future, they hope to develop more versions of the mask, versions that are not only environmentally friendly but also reusable. 

“Going forward we are looking to innovate as much as we can, we are looking at the materials we use on these and trying to find out if we can make them recyclable or compostable fabrics,” said Cave. 

Dr. Cave and Lushtak both agreed that if the pandemic was to end tomorrow masks would still be an important part of our lives and Cave wants citizens to understand that the masks he has helped create do not only work to kill COVID-19 but many other viruses as well. 

“ This does not just kill Coronavirus, it also kills influenza and a whole range of other viruses so it is not like this is a one-trick pony, this will help us out and I think people's mentalities will change in terms of wearing facemasks,” said Cave.