Challenge of N95 filtering facepiece respirators with viable H1N1 influenza aerosols

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harnish DA ; Heimbuch BK ; Husband M ; Kinney K ; Lumley AE ; Shaffer RE ; Wander JD
• Description:
  Objective. Specification of appropriate personal protective equipment for respiratory protection against influenza is somewhat controversial. In a clinical environment, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are often recommended for respiratory protection against infectious aerosols. This study evaluates the ability of N95 FFRs to capture viable H1N1 influenza aerosols. Methods. Five N95 FFR models were challenged with aerosolized viable H1N1 influenza and inert polystyrene latex particles at continuous flow rates of 85 and 170 liters per minute. Virus was assayed using Madin-Darby canine kidney cells to determine the median tissue culture infective dose (TCID50). Aerosols were generated using a Collison nebulizer containing H1N1 influenza virus at [Formula: see text] TCID50/mL. To determine filtration efficiency, viable sampling was performed upstream and downstream of the FFR. Results. N95 FFRs filtered 0.8-µm particles of both H1N1 influenza and inert origins with more than 95% efficiency. With the exception of 1 model, no statistically significant difference in filtration performance was observed between influenza and inert particles of similar size. Although statistically significant differences were observed for 2 models when comparing the 2 flow rates, the differences have no significance to protection. Conclusions. This study empirically demonstrates that a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved N95 FFR captures viable H1N1 influenza aerosols as well as or better than its N95 rating, suggesting that a properly fitted FFR reduces inhalation exposure to airborne influenza virus. This study also provides evidence that filtration efficiency is based primarily on particle size rather than the nature of the particle's origin. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Communicable Diseases Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Viral Diseases
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Infection-control Infectious-diseases Respirators Respiratory-infections Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Viral-diseases Viral-infections
• ISSN:
  0899-823X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Florida ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania
• 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:
  494-499
• Volume:
  34
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042418
• Citation:
  Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2013 May; 34(5):494-499
• Contact Point Address:
  Delbert A. Harnish, MS, Applied Research Associates, 430 West 5th Street, Suite 700, Panama City, FL 32401
• Email:
  dharnish@ara.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:477c3fae52cb049bfcb0ac21a115c37c5cb565061c6c47dadd2058d7d63476205dfce502f913173a0ad98a6db55acd07f366076505f067523f34d2613bcd0da2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194650/cdc_194650_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 273.95 KB ]