The new silicone elastometric half-piece respirator, VJR-NMU: A novel and effective tool to prevent COVID-19

Abstract

Filter facepiece respirators (FFRs) are critical for preventing the transmission of respiratory tract infection disease, especially the dreadful coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV-2). The N95 mask is a prototype, high-efficiency protective device that can effectively protect against airborne pathogens of less than 0.3 μm. The N95 mask is tightly fitting and has high filtration capacity. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to a greater requirement for FFR. This rising demand greatly exceeds current production capabilities and stockpiles, resulting in shortages. To address this, our team has invented a new type of half-piece respirator made from silicone and assembled with HEPA or elastostatic filter. A variety of methods have been used to evaluate this new device, including a qualitative fit test with the Bitrex® test kit and filtration test. The preliminary results showed that the new elastometric respirators pass the fit test. The filtration tests also confirmed the superiority of the new respirator over traditional N95 masks, with a mean performance of protection greater than 95%. For the filters, we used two types: SafeStar, which is a kind of HEPA filter; and CareStar, which is considered an elastostatic filler. CareStar was developed to filter virus and bacteria in the operating room, with a limit duration of use up to 24 h, while the safe star was designed for 72 h use and has the quality equivalent to a HEPA filter. Our study demonstrated superior filtration efficacy of both filters, more than 98% even after 24 h of use. CareStar has significantly more filtration efficacy than a safe star (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the development of our new N99 half-piece respirator should ultimately be applicable to healthcare workers with at least non-inferiority to the previously used N 95 respirators. As a universal masking policy is generally implemented, health care workers who are at risk must be protected with appropriate devices. Currently, the adequate supply of such equipment is not feasible. The advent of the new protective device will help protect healthcare workers and replenish the shortage of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation on new silicone half-piece elastometric respirator (VJR-NMU) performance, structural integrity and sterility during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…After decontamination with UVC irradiation of the masks for 60 min, fit testing was conducted using a qualitative fit test (Bitrex Solution aerosol). We followed the same procedure as described in a previous report [ 11 ]. The detail of the participants and test data including face dimension are detailed in S1 Fig and S1 Table and S1 Appendix .…”

“…The study described herein is a continuation of a previously published article. Recently, our team invented a novel silicone mask with a HEPA filter (CareStar and SafeStar, Draeger, Germany) (VJR-NMU silicone half-piece elastometric respirators) [ 11 ]; over 4,000 pieces have been supplied all over Thailand during the past three months. We plan to study the ability of UVC and 70% alcohol to decontaminate these novel respirators and investigate the effect of these reprocessing methods on physical degradation of the respirators and biological inactivation of pathogens on the respirators.…”

A systematic review of passing fit testing of the masks and respirators used during the COVID-19 pandemic: Part 1-quantitative fit test procedures

“…participants [101,102], two studies: Japan University of Occupational and Environmental Health [103,104], one study: employees of the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) [105], and one study: American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) [54]. Notably, the HCW subjects' occupations or professional groups were not mentioned in nineteen studies [32,33,42,51,53,58,88,[106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117]. The subjects' occupations in the remaining 69 studies were not exactly determined.…”

Effect of ionic liquid on graphene decorated with copper nanostructure dispersion towards silicon/graphene/copper composites with enhanced thermal, electrical and antimicrobial properties

“…Some silicon devices for medical applications include stretchable electrodes or electrosurgical devices [ 3 ] in which the thermal and electrical conductivity together with antimicrobial properties are very important for their optimal performance. Silicon has been recently used for reusable respiratory masks and surgical masks respirators for protection against SARS-CoV-2 virus [ 4 ]. The continuous appearance of new threats to human health worldwide, such as new types of virus and the increasing number of antibiotic resistance bacteria, has conducted the research to a new antimicrobial strategy.…”