Protection Level and Reusability of a Modified Full-Face Snorkel Mask as Alternative Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jones, Lewis; Aeby, Elise A.; Gloor, Christian; Moser, Berthold; Wang, Jing

doi:10.1101/2020.08.16.20176081

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…However, dissimilarities have been observed, depending on the used brand and the type of the deployed filter. Schmitt et al studied the filtering efficiency on a modified Easybreath (Decathlon) mask [ 115 ]. In their study, the chin valve was sealed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of the User Experience for Snorkeling Mask Designs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Profili

Dubois²,

Karakitsos

et al. 2021

Healthcare

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During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, industries and academic institutes have collaborated to resolve the worldwide medical supply shortage issues. Innovative designs of 3D-printed items were proposed and developed by the maker community as a temporary solution to address the lack of personal protective equipment. An overview of global ongoing and past initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic along with their challenges on retrofitting full-face snorkeling masks for healthcare applications such as splash-proof face shields, respirator masks and non-invasive ventilation systems are reported in this contribution. This study reviews these global initiatives and challenges. From our analysis, the present situation highlights the need to build solid networks between healthcare institutes and the different rapid prototyping initiatives. A clear feedback system needs to be implemented to facilitate effective collaboration between engineering (maker) and healthcare teams, to optimize the available human resources, and to achieve adequate product developments responding to the needs of healthcare workers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of the User Experience for Snorkeling Mask Designs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Profili

Dubois²,

Karakitsos

et al. 2021

Healthcare

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…When filters are not properly replaced at the right time, it may cause a significant build-up of pressure drop or an increased penetration of pollutants due to the charge decay and/or damaged material. [41][42][43][44][45] Figure 8 depicted the mass of particles deposited/retained in the filter media versus the mass challenged to the filter media. The plots filled with dark and light colors indicate that particle mass retained in the filter media and the mass penetrated through the filter, respectively.…”

Section: Effective Lifetime Of Filter Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental storage conditions influencing the filtration behavior of electret filters with repeated use

Lee

Park

et al. 2022

Journal of Industrial Textiles

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Worldwide attention has been paid to effective protection strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic. Filtering masks are generally kept for a certain period of shelf-life before being used, and frequently, they are used repeatedly with recurrent storages. This study investigates the effect of storage temperature and humidity on the structural characteristics and charges of an electret filter, associating with the filtration performance in terms of efficiency and pressure drop based on a practical use-storage scenario. For the repeated use conditions with recurrent storage, humid storage conditions significantly deteriorated the filtration efficiency as hygroscopic particles quickly wetted the surface and masked the surface charges. The high temperature rapidly deteriorated the filter charges and caused a lowered electrostatic filtration efficiency. In a heated condition, the web became fluffier, yet it did not directly affect the pressure drop or mechanical filtration efficiency. The approach of this study is progressive in that rigorous analysis was performed on examining the particle morphology and internal structure of filter media with varied storage conditions to link with the filtration performance and the effective lifetime. This study intends to provide a scientific reference guiding a desirable storage condition and replacement cycle of filtering masks considering the actual use habits and storage environment.

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“…Sound can be played on the phone's internal speaker or through a speaker connected to the device's wired headphone port (Kroo et al, 2020). According to Schmitt et al (2020), this form of a full-face mask does not allow the use of glasses together with a mask. However, this can be overcome by using contact lenses or contact lenses for users who need glasses.…”

Section: Weaknesses and Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical Snorkel-Mask: A Reusable Personal Protective Equipment for Health Workers

Manaf

Suyudi

Razaan

et al. 2022

JCMPHR

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Covid-19 is a new disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The increasing number of cases of Covid-19 has made it difficult for hospitals to handle it, and health workers are at a higher risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 and urgently need Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect themselves and minimize the spread of the virus. However, the usage of PPE especially face-masks often causes discomfort. Therefore, a new type of face mask has emerged, namely the medical snorkel mask. This mask is designed to cover the entire face and is made by modifying the air circulation section by adding an air filter. The filter used is PALL Ultipor 25 with a HEPA filter capable of filtering up to 0.3 microns in size and has an efficiency of 99.99%. Medical snorkel mask that is used properly are quite efficient in preventing the transmission of Covid-19, with a fitting factor of 142 from pass level 100. This mask also has passed the CO2 toxicity test. The advantages of a medical snorkel mask include protecting the entire face from infectious droplets, preventing direct hand contact with the face, being reusable, and being equipped with an effective air filter by minimizing the potential for filtrate malfunction. Some of the disadvantages of this mask include interfering with the communication process, cannot being used in conjunction with glasses, a buildup of CO2, increasing the work of breathing, and limiting vision. However, some of these weaknesses can be minimized by modifying the mask and maintaining an optimal barrier system. Given the high level of effectiveness and efficiency, medical snorkel masks can be a novel solution to overcome the discomfort of using PPE for health workers in Indonesia. Hopefully, it can reduce the morbidity and mortality of health workers due to exposure to Covid-19.

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Protection Level and Reusability of a Modified Full-Face Snorkel Mask as Alternative Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Overview of the User Experience for Snorkeling Mask Designs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview of the User Experience for Snorkeling Mask Designs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Environmental storage conditions influencing the filtration behavior of electret filters with repeated use

Medical Snorkel-Mask: A Reusable Personal Protective Equipment for Health Workers

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