Decontamination and Reuse of N95 Masks: A Narrative Review

Ikram, Aamer; Savul, Saba; Lalani, Farhan; Khan, Mansoor A.; Sarfraz, Muzna

doi:10.1155/2020/8869472

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…To date, the disinfection methods of respirators mainly include dry heat [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], water vapor [ 16 , 17 , 23 , 24 , 25 ], chemical disinfectant [ 17 , 24 ], ultraviolet rays [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 23 , 24 , 26 ], hydrogen peroxide vapor [ 17 , 18 , 20 , 23 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], microwave radiation [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], supercritical CO 2 [ 29 ], high pressure steam [ 17 , 18 ], gamma radiations [ 30 , 31 ], and ethylene oxide [ 17 , 26 ]. However, limitations of these methods persist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering this and the fact that N95 respirators have a curvature, disinfection with UVGI alone may result in incomplete disinfection [ 32 , 33 ]. Ethylene oxide is not recommended because of the potential carcinogenicity and flammability [ 17 ]. Gamma radiation is not recommended because of a significant drop in filtration efficiency [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gamma radiation is not recommended because of a significant drop in filtration efficiency [ 30 , 31 ]. Chemical disinfectant is not recommended because of its strong smell and structural damage to the filter material [ 17 , 33 , 34 ]. In contrast, dry heat, hydrogen peroxide vapor, and supercritical CO 2 have been proven as effective methods for decontamination [ 17 , 28 , 29 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chemical disinfectant is not recommended because of its strong smell and structural damage to the filter material [ 17 , 33 , 34 ]. In contrast, dry heat, hydrogen peroxide vapor, and supercritical CO 2 have been proven as effective methods for decontamination [ 17 , 28 , 29 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. The dry heat technique is of particular interest because of its simple operation and the fact that there is no use and release of chemicals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dry Heat as a Potential Decontamination Method on the Filtration Efficiency of Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Jin

Sun

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Filtering facepiece respirators have been widely used in the fields of occupational health and public hygiene, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, disposable respirators have been in high demand, and the waste generated from these disposable products poses a problem for the environment. Here, we aimed to test a practical decontamination method to allow for the reuse of KN95 respirators. In this study, three types of KN95 respirators were heated at 80 °C and 90 °C for different durations (15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 10 h, and 24 h). The filtration efficiencies of the tested KN95 respirators before and after heating were measured, and the changes in microstructure were imaged with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, a neural network model based on the nonlinear autoregressive with external input (NARX) to predict the filtration efficiency of the KN95 respirator was established. The results show that the temperature and time of dry heating affected particle prevention. The higher the temperature and the longer the heating time, the more obvious the decline in the filtration efficiency of the respirators. When the heating temperature reached 100 °C, the respirator may be no longer suitable for reuse. These results show that a dry heat temperature between 70 °C and 90 °C, and a heating time between 30 min and 2 h is assumed to be a suitable and effective decontamination method for respirators.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Dry Heat as a Potential Decontamination Method on the Filtration Efficiency of Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Jin

Sun

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…T HE sudden emergence of respiratory infectious diseases, such as the unprecedented coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID- 19), generally leads to an international shortage of filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) supplies, which are essential for infection control and the protection of healthcare workers [1], [2]. Here, the decontamination and reuse of respirators, while suboptimal, can be considered [3]- [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on Dry Microwave Heating Infectious Aerosols or Droplets on Respirators

Zhang

2021

IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Techn.

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Dramatic shortages of filtering facepiece respirator supplies generally occur following the outbreak of a pandemic such as COVID-19. Here, the decontamination and reuse of respirators are considered. Among decontamination methods, microwave irradiation has great potential because of easy access of microwave ovens. However, can a respirator be heated in a microwave oven for a certain time and then be reused? Herein, we demonstrate that dry microwave irradiation cannot heat infectious aerosols or droplets up to their deactivation temperature. The microwave absorption performance of a single aerosol or droplet was analyzed theoretically. The multiphysics simulation results indicate that a single aerosol or droplet can be barely heated under dry microwave irradiation. Experiments were carried out using a traveling wave system to verify the simulation. Following this, we simulated multiple aerosols and droplets on a respirator material, with the results indicating that the aerosols and droplets were at the same temperature as that of the respirator. Experimental measurements using a microwave oven demonstrated that the temperature increase of an N95 respirator under dry heating is less than 10 • C, which is far less than the temperature required to deactivate the COVID-19 virus. Although dry microwave heating cannot be used to heat the aerosols or droplets, microwave-generated steam has proved effective in deactivating infectious biological organisms. Therefore, to successfully decontaminate a used respirator in a microwave oven, a reservoir with a small amount of water beneath the respirator (or a steam bag to accommodate it) is essential to the decontamination process.

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Feeling safe versus being safe: Perceptions of safety versus actual disease exposure across the entire health care team

Boitet

Meese

Colón-López

et al. 2023

J of Healthc Risk Manag

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As supply chains experienced disruptions early in the COVID‐19 pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) quickly became scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of perceptions of inadequate PPE, fear of COVID‐19 infection, and self‐reported direct COVID‐19 exposure on health care workers. Data to assess distress, resilience, social‐ecological factors, and work and nonwork‐related stressors were collected from June to July 2020 at a large medical center. Stressors were analyzed by role using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis. Our data indicate that job role influenced fear of infection and perceptions of inadequate PPE in the early phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Perceived organizational support was also related to perceptions of inadequate PPE supply. Interestingly, work location, rather than job role, was predictive of direct COVID‐19 exposure. Our data highlight a disconnect between the perception of safety in the health care setting with real risk of exposure to infectious disease. This study suggests that leaders in health care should focus on cultivating supportive organizational cultures, assessing both perceived and actual safety, and provide adequate training in safety practices may improve preparedness and organizational trust during times of both certainty and crisis particularly for clinical workers with less education and training.

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Decontamination and Reuse of N95 Masks: A Narrative Review

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Dry Heat as a Potential Decontamination Method on the Filtration Efficiency of Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Dry Heat as a Potential Decontamination Method on the Filtration Efficiency of Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Research on Dry Microwave Heating Infectious Aerosols or Droplets on Respirators

Feeling safe versus being safe: Perceptions of safety versus actual disease exposure across the entire health care team

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