Teresa Stepzinski

tstepzinski@jacksonville.com

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Michael Murphy never envisioned the coronavirus pandemic when he bought a pair of brand new industrial sterilization machines for Eco Relics, his Jacksonville business.

Murphy hopes a local hospital might want to rent the machines, which he says can safely and easily be adapted to sterilize n95 face masks needed by doctors, nurses and other health care professionals as well as first responders treating virus patients.

Eco Relics is an architectural salvage company dedicated to the philosophy of “Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose.” It specializes in building materials as well as new and used tools.

Murphy said they bought the IDRY and Sterilize Plus chamber sterilization units to dry out lumber. Each unit, also called a kiln, has an enclosed 17 foot long chamber that is six feet high and five feet wide, which resembles a shipping cargo container.

But, he said research shows the units can sterilize racks loaded with the n95 cloth face masks.

“It’s designed perfectly to sterilize n95 masks,” Murphy said Saturday. Essentially, the units just need the readily available drying racks, he said.

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The units heat up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

“All the research I’ve seen has determined the best way to sterilize an n95 mask without breaking down the fibers or having any deleterious effects on the mask is to heat it to 158 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes,” said Murphy, noting he’s consulted the manufacturer.

“They said they basically are selling them now as sterilization units for n95 masks,” he said of the units, which are vacuum kilns.

Murphy said Eco Relics apparently is the only company within about 500 miles that actually has the large units that are available to rent.

UF Health Jacksonville officials told him that the medical center has a smaller but similar sterilization unit designed specifically for medical purposes, Murphy said.

Murphy is trying to get in touch with officials at Northeast Florida hospitals to see whether they might be able to use his machines,

But because so many people are working from their homes, Murphy said he hasn’t had any luck getting in touch with the right hospital officials.

“This is just sort of an odd use of a product that is actually perfectly designed to do what needs to be done to sterilize the n95 masks,” he said of the units.

Murphy said he wants to lease the units — which cost $139,000 each.

Because Eco Relics has been hard hit economically by the coronavirus pandemic, Murphy said he just can’t afford to donate the units.

One or more hospitals could lease the units on a daily or monthly basis, however long they would need it, he said.

Murphy has listed the units on the Eco Relics Facebook page as being available.

“Obviously, I would rather have a hospital use it to sterilize n95 masks, than I would be to dry out lumber,” Murphy said.

Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075