Aerosol and Surface Contamination Assessment of a Novel Ventilated Infectious Aerosol Containment Device

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrus N ; Dominguez T ; Fang R ; Jones RM ; Sleeth DK
• Description:
  Healthcare personnels (HCPs) are at risk of respiratory infectious diseases during patient care activities. HCPs rely primarily on personal protective equipment to prevent pathogen exposures, but there is a need to develop alternative, or complementary control strategies, including engineering controls. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the 3 designs (denoted D1A, D1B, and D2) of the University of Utah Containment Ventilation for Exposure Reduction (U-COVER), a protective barrier enclosure device to contain respirable aerosols when placed over a simulated patient. The 2 primary performance metrics were the percent reduction in: (i) the concentration of respirable aerosols in the simulated breathing zone of an HCP, and (ii) surface contamination outside the device, which were tested using salt aerosols and fluorescein aerosols, respectively. Briefly, salt or fluorescein aerosols were generated as though expelled by a prone patient under 3 conditions: (i) no device (control), (ii) with the device but without exhaust ventilation, and (iii) with the device with exhaust ventilation. Device D2 was also tested under simulated use conditions, in which cardboard "arms" were placed inside the device ports. All 3 device designs showed the ability to reduce particle concentrations in the simulated HCP breathing zone and on surfaces by >99% with exhaust ventilation compared to the control condition. Without exhaust ventilation, device performance was lower and highly variable. Under simulated use conditions, device D2 reduced particle concentrations in the simulated HCP breathing zone by ≥91% and on surfaces by >99% relative to control for all combinations of "arms" tested. The U-COVER device demonstrates excellent aerosol containment and warrants further testing with dynamic simulated or actual use conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Engineering Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Bioaerosol Bioaerosols Engineering Controls Exposure Healthcare Health Care Personnel Pathogens Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respirable Dust Respiratory Infections

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• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  192-202
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069066
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2024 Mar; 68(2):192-202
• Contact Point Address:
  Darrah K. Sleeth, Division of Occupational & Environmental Health, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, 375 Chipeta Way, Suite A, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
• Email:
  darrah.sleeth@hsc.utah.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6709c9167b93248f079755e9ab39cfbc02d129a32a5bcf8d317bb21f962830981bcc0ee5ea79ddde416064b04c4a3084e83708569e4ef82175e06f63503aa1a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207615/cdc_207615_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 8.16 MB ]