As COVID - 19 spreads in the United States, supplies such as face masks are in short supply.In a bid to reuse them, people in many parts of the United States are putting them in microwave ovens.A growing number of similar situations are causing headaches for fire departments across the United States, which are rushing to inform people via social media that the move is not only not bacteria-killing, but also a safety concern.

The reading fire department warned on twitter: "there is a disturbing trend with many people believing that heating masks in the microwave kills bacteria.What people don't know is that the nose clip is made of metal and is used to make the mask fit our face better, and the high temperature of the microwave oven can cause the metal to burn, which can set the microwave on fire and cause a fire."

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