A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage
Abstract The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration eff...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0339 |
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| author | Eric P. Vejerano Jeonghyeon Ahn |
| author_facet | Eric P. Vejerano Jeonghyeon Ahn |
| author_sort | Eric P. Vejerano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration efficiency. A recently issued guideline will test decontaminated N95 respirators against particles with a median diameter of 0.075 ± 0.020 µm at a flow rate of 85 L min–1. For emergency reuse, these conditions may be too stringent. N95 respirators tested at this flow rate had predicted efficiencies of < 69%, assuming complete degradation of their electrostatic coating. Experimental efficiencies were ~15% lower. For emergency reuse, we recommend to either adjust the flow rate closer to normal breathing, or the size of the test particle should reflect that of virus-laden respiratory aerosols (~> 0.5 µm). By reconsidering the test conditions, a substantial fraction of used/decontaminated respirators can be reused. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec01d4169656461abc04a33b8e2f90b4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1680-8584 2071-1409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec01d4169656461abc04a33b8e2f90b42025-02-09T12:19:26ZengSpringerAerosol and Air Quality Research1680-85842071-14092024-12-012081713171510.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0339A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address ShortageEric P. Vejerano0Jeonghyeon Ahn1Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaCenter for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaAbstract The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration efficiency. A recently issued guideline will test decontaminated N95 respirators against particles with a median diameter of 0.075 ± 0.020 µm at a flow rate of 85 L min–1. For emergency reuse, these conditions may be too stringent. N95 respirators tested at this flow rate had predicted efficiencies of < 69%, assuming complete degradation of their electrostatic coating. Experimental efficiencies were ~15% lower. For emergency reuse, we recommend to either adjust the flow rate closer to normal breathing, or the size of the test particle should reflect that of virus-laden respiratory aerosols (~> 0.5 µm). By reconsidering the test conditions, a substantial fraction of used/decontaminated respirators can be reused.https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0339Fine aerosolSARS-CoV-2COVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Eric P. Vejerano Jeonghyeon Ahn A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage Aerosol and Air Quality Research Fine aerosol SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 |
| title | A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage |
| title_full | A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage |
| title_fullStr | A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage |
| title_short | A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage |
| title_sort | letter to reconsider the conditions for testing decontaminated n95 respirators for emergency reuse to address shortage |
| topic | Fine aerosol SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0339 |
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