Cleaning of filtering facepiece respirators contaminated with mucin and Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Background Decontamination, cleaning, and reuse of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) has been proposed to mitigate an acute FFR shortage during a public health emergency. Our study evaluates the ability of commercially available wipe products to clean FFRs contaminated with either infectious or noninfectious aerosols. Methods Three models of surgical N95 FFRs were contaminated with aerosols of mucin or viable Staphylococcus aureus then cleaned with hypochlorite, benzalkonium chloride, or nonantimicrobial wipes. After cleaning, FFRs were separated into components (nose pad, fabrics, and perforated strip), and contaminants were extracted and quantified. Filtration performance was assessed for cleaned FFRs. Results Mucin removal was <1 log for all wipe products on all components. Inert wipes achieved ~1-log attenuation in viable S aureus on fabrics from all FFR models—removal was less effective from nose pads and perforated edges. Both antimicrobial wipes achieved 3–5-log attenuation on most components, with smaller reductions on nose pads and greater reductions on perforated strips. Particle penetration following cleaning yielded mean values <5%. The highest penetrations were observed in FFRs cleaned with benzalkonium chloride wipes. Conclusions FFRs can be disinfected using antimicrobial wipe products, but not effectively cleaned with the wipes evaluated in this study. This study provides informative data for the development of better FFRs and applicable cleaning products.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation of influenza-contaminated N95 filtering facepiece respirators

“…Additionally, research has been performed demonstrating that several FFR models cannot be effectively cleaned using various cleaning wipes. 17 According to the Institute of Medicine, any method decontaminating a disposable N95 FFR must remove the pathogen, be harmless to the user, and not compromise the integrity of the various parts of the respirator. 18 If the decontamination process can eliminate viable pathogens from the medical device in the presence of other organic material, the question arises of whether cleaning would still be required, especially during a public health emergency.…”

Decontamination Methods for Respiratory Protection Mask Model N95: A Rapid Review

“…The effectiveness of commercial wipes containing 0.9% hypochlorite, benzalkonium chloride or no active antimicrobial ingredients was evaluated in masks contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and mucin. 37 The three mask models withstood handling and abrasion during the disinfection process. All were successfully disinfected against atypically high microbe levels by wipes containing antimicrobial agents but the inert wipes did not produce adequate disinfection.…”

Application of a quaternary ammonium agent on surgical face masks before use for pre-decontamination of nosocomial infection-related bioaerosols

“…However, surgical masks are used to prevent airborne droplets produced by the wearer from contaminating the surrounding environment (Rengasamy et al 2009). Both surgical masks and FFRs may be contaminated through continuous bioaerosol exposure, resulting in secondary microbial infections when the devices act as touchable fomites (Heimbuch et al 2014;Williams et al 2014).…”

“…Relative to respirators, surgical masks are used more often by the public in indoor environments. This fact is especially true for a pandemic disease outbreak, in which supply shortages of FFRs may occur (Viscusi et al 2011;Heimbuch et al 2014). People may use surgical masks instead of FFRs because of economic reasons or nonavailability (Rengasamy et al 2009).…”