U.S. flag An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

i

Effect of Decontamination on the Filtration Efficiency of Two Filtering Facepiece Respirator Models

Public Domain


Details

  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Respiratory protective devices such as National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified disposable filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are often recommended for use by healthcare workers and the general public for infection control. However, during a wide-scale breakout of a disease spread by human-to-human transmission via infectious aerosol, shortages of FFRs are likely. One possible solution to the potential shortage is to reuse the FFR after decontamination to remove any infectious material. However, little data exists on the effects of various decontamination methods. In this study, two models of FFRs (one N95 and one P100) were treated with ten decontamination processes at two conditions each. Filtration performance of the treated respirators plus two controls was assessed using a poly-dispersed sodium chloride aerosol test method similar to that used by the NIOSH for respirator certification. Decontamination using an autoclave, 160º C dry heat, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and soap and water (20 minute soak) caused significant filter degradation to both N95 and P100 FFRs. The particle penetration levels were greater than allowed for NIOSH certification. Filtration performance after decontamination using bleach, ethylene oxide, and a microwave oven was degraded for both respirator models, although particle penetration levels were still less than the NIOSH certification criteria. The decontamination methods that had the least effect on particle penetration involved hydrogen peroxide (vaporized and liquid forms) and UV radiation. Future research should consider low-temperature decontamination methods such as vaporized and liquid hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, microwave radiation for 2 minutes or less, UV radiation, and 10% diluted household bleach for further study. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    0892-6298
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Division:
    NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    93-107
  • Volume:
    24
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20033292
  • Citation:
    J Int Soc Respir Prot 2007 Fall/Winter; 24(III-IV):93-107
  • Contact Point Address:
    Ronald E. Shaffer, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Rd., P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236
  • Email:
    RShaffer@cdc.gov
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2007
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Source Full Name:
    Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:4d55bbc1611a6ffc5f46baa5eb59b87e5236d6a4ba2d58f10582985ab98bf8f084ebd7987f2dcfbb73faa104b763fe3bd2c565e0385e9070b2316faa3c651d5c
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 1.77 MB ]
PREVIOUS
ON THIS PAGE
Details
CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.

As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
BACK TO TOP