Vaporized hydrogen peroxide best for decontaminating N95 masks: Study

The unprecedented pandemic of Covid 19 has lead to shortages of personal protective equipment globally. The shortage is most evident in particular respiratory protection such as N95 respirators. Covid 19 transmission is frequently occurring in hospital settings, with numerous reported cases of nosocomial transmission highlighting the vulnerability of healthcare workers. In general, N95 respirators are designed for single use prior to disposal but keeping in view of overall shortage researchers are looking at ways and means for its reuse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that the general public wear N95 respirators to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including coronavirus (COVID-19). Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

In a study in addition to reuse policy the Investigators also assessed the function of the N95 respirators after multiple wear and decontamination sessions.

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, Montana have tested four methods of decontaminating N95 respirators for reuse as a part of decontamination strategies.

The researchers found thatvaporized hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light appeared to eliminate the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the material and preserve the integrity of the masks' fit for up to three uses. They have reported their findings on the preprint server medRxiv.

It was also found in the research that 70% ethanol and ultraviolet light each significantly degraded mask integrity. For ethanol in particular, further degradation was noted 30 minutes after decontamination. Vaporized hydrogen peroxide, meanwhile, did not significantly change mask integrity after two treatments. In addition, the investigators applied virus to the masks, and virus was still detected after decontamination with vaporized hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light — but not after decontamination with ethanol.

This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed . It reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and so should not be used to guide clinical practice, according to a note on the webpage.

For further reference log on to:

https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.11.20062018