COVID-19, at the moment, might feel safely in the rearview mirror. But other respiratory viruses and bacterial-caused walking pneumonia are stoking human health concerns — and COVID is far from vanquished. Seattle startup Singletto is ready with a new line of defense: pathogen-killing face masks that were recently approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The masks include a product that contains methylene blue, a chemical known for its ability to kill viruses, bacteria and fungi. It’s also relatively safe for humans as methylene blue is used in the treatment of various health conditions. It could replace silver nanoparticles currently used in healthcare products and in other settings in order to kill pathogens, but the particles are building to worrying levels in the environment and associated with antibiotic resistance.