Hydrogen Peroxide Methods for Decontaminating N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Rempel, David; Henneman, John R.; Agalloco, James; Crittenden, Jill R.

doi:10.1089/apb.20.0042

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This study had a few limitations. We first acknowledge the apparent feasibility of other potential disinfection methods (e.g., vaporized hydrogen peroxide for PPE [67]); however, such methods could not be readily adopted in many areas, due to the need for supply of the chemical and the necessary health and safety issues required to handle it. There is some evidence that non-steam moist heat treatment may be more effective for virus inactivation in FFRs than dry heat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultraviolet-C Irradiation, Heat, and Storage as Potential Methods of Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and Bacterial Pathogens on Filtering Facepiece Respirators

et al. 2022

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The arrival of SARS-CoV-2 to Aotearoa/New Zealand in February 2020 triggered a massive response at multiple levels. Procurement and sustainability of medical supplies to hospitals and clinics during the then upcoming COVID-19 pandemic was one of the top priorities. Continuing access to new personal protective equipment (PPE) was not guaranteed; thus, disinfecting and reusing PPE was considered as a potential alternative. Here, we describe part of a local program intended to test and implement a system to disinfect PPE for potential reuse in New Zealand. We used filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) coupons inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 or clinically relevant multidrug-resistant pathogens (Acinetobacter baumannii Ab5075, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 LAC and cystic-fibrosis isolate Pseudomonas aeruginosa LESB58), to evaluate the potential use of ultraviolet-C germicidal irradiation (UV-C) or dry heat treatment to disinfect PPE. An applied UV-C dose of 1000 mJ/cm2 was sufficient to completely inactivate high doses of SARS-CoV-2; however, irregularities in the FFR coupons hindered the efficacy of UV-C to fully inactivate the virus, even at higher UV-C doses (2000 mJ/cm2). Conversely, incubating contaminated FFR coupons at 65 °C for 30 min or 70 °C for 15 min, was sufficient to block SARS-CoV-2 replication, even in the presence of mucin or a soil load (mimicking salivary or respiratory secretions, respectively). Dry heat (90 min at 75 °C to 80 °C) effectively killed 106 planktonic bacteria; however, even extending the incubation time up to two hours at 80 °C did not completely kill bacteria when grown in colony biofilms. Importantly, we also showed that FFR material can harbor replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 for up to 35 days at room temperature in the presence of a soil load. We are currently using these findings to optimize and establish a robust process for decontaminating, reusing, and reducing wastage of PPE in New Zealand.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultraviolet-C Irradiation, Heat, and Storage as Potential Methods of Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and Bacterial Pathogens on Filtering Facepiece Respirators

et al. 2022

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“…Low- and middle-income countries, however, continued to experience chronic and severe shortages of respiratory PPE, which still persist. 5 , 6 Generally accepted N95 decontamination and reuse strategies for Covid-19 include hydrogen peroxide vapor, 7 humid heat, 8 , 9 room temperature wait and reuse, 10 and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation for up to five reuse cycles. 11 - 15 Some groups in the United States adopted whole-room decontamination of N95 respirators using preexisting UV-C towers or laboratory setups 16 , 17 ; however, these towers are expensive, on the order of $80,000 per unit, and were not generally available in low-income environments.…”

Section: The Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

Global Collaboration on a UV-C Cabinet to Decontaminate and Reuse N95 Respirators in Low- and Middle-Income Environments

et al. 2022

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“…The outer and inner layer of mask are made of spun-bond polypropylene fiber, filter layer is made of melt-blown polypropylene fiber, and middle layer is made of modacrylic fiber [6]. The effectiveness of non-woven fabric masks taken for the study consists of 3 layers of spun-bond polypropylene fiber (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25) [32]. The textile masks that are taken for the study consists of two variants viz.…”

Section: Types Of Protective Facemasksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Deterioration of filtration ability happens because many certified masks use fibers with a static charge, which get disoriented by dipping in alcohol/liquids. There are serval other factors that also need to be assessed, like mask handling requirement, throughput, the ability to decontaminate, shadowing effect, cost effectiveness, which require specialized equipment and expertise to perform decontamination process and safety of operating personal [19,20]. The effectiveness of certified N-95, non-woven and fiber/textile masks has been extensively reviewed [6,21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of filtration effectiveness of various types of facemasks following with different sterilization methods

Kumar

Subramanian

Venkatraman

2021

Journal of Industrial Textiles

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Due to the ongoing pandemic, various types of facemasks such as certified N-95, non-woven fiber and fabric/textile masks are being used as an essential protective measure to reduce the risk of spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. The aerosols size-dependent filtration efficiency and breathing resistance of these masks were tested before and after sterilization by five different methods for two flow rates (20 and 90 L/min) conditions corresponding to regular breathing rate and moderate/strenuous exertion, in the particle size range 0.3–10 µm. Sterilization techniques used here are autoclaving (30 and 60 minutes), dry air oven heating (30 and 60 minutes), ionizing irradiation (15 and 25 kGy), hot water washing with and without detergent and immersing in a 10% concentration of liquid hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes. Further, the filtration efficiency of each type of masks is also studied with laboratory generated two-order higher aerosol concertation. The certified mask has the most outstanding filtering efficiency among all the other type of facemasks. The ionizing radiation causes a significant reduction in filtration efficacy, so that it is not recommended for sterilization purpose. The best method to sterilize certified N-95 masks without affecting their performance is by using dry air heating with temperature ranging from 70–80 °C. The performance of the cloth and surgical masks is found to be comparable for both flow conditions. As an affordable sterilization method, hot water washing is recommended, which does not deteriorate the fabric masks efficiency and can be used by the common people. The recommended masks for the general people are textile/fabric masks which serves fit for the purpose than non-woven masks because it can help to reduce non-biodegradable waste (facemask) and prevent respiratory droplet transmission. The non-woven mask can be sterilized with dry heat, hot water wash and autoclave.

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Hydrogen Peroxide Methods for Decontaminating N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Ultraviolet-C Irradiation, Heat, and Storage as Potential Methods of Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and Bacterial Pathogens on Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Ultraviolet-C Irradiation, Heat, and Storage as Potential Methods of Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and Bacterial Pathogens on Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Global Collaboration on a UV-C Cabinet to Decontaminate and Reuse N95 Respirators in Low- and Middle-Income Environments

Evaluation of filtration effectiveness of various types of facemasks following with different sterilization methods

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