Frontiers in Medicine (Oct 2020)

Controlled Heat and Humidity-Based Treatment for the Reuse of Personal Protective Equipment: A Pragmatic Proof-of-Concept to Address the Mass Shortage of Surgical Masks and N95/FFP2 Respirators and to Prevent the SARS-CoV2 Transmission

  • Louis Bernard,
  • Louis Bernard,
  • Guillaume Desoubeaux,
  • Guillaume Desoubeaux,
  • Guillaume Desoubeaux,
  • Elsa Bodier-Montagutelli,
  • Elsa Bodier-Montagutelli,
  • Elsa Bodier-Montagutelli,
  • Jeoffrey Pardessus,
  • Jeoffrey Pardessus,
  • Déborah Brea,
  • Déborah Brea,
  • Laurine Allimonnier,
  • Laurine Allimonnier,
  • Sébastien Eymieux,
  • Sébastien Eymieux,
  • Sébastien Eymieux,
  • Pierre-Ivan Raynal,
  • Pierre-Ivan Raynal,
  • Virginie Vasseur,
  • Virginie Vasseur,
  • Laurent Vecellio,
  • Laurent Vecellio,
  • Ludovic Mathé,
  • Antoine Guillon,
  • Antoine Guillon,
  • Antoine Guillon,
  • Philippe Lanotte,
  • Philippe Lanotte,
  • Philippe Lanotte,
  • Jérémie Pourchez,
  • Paul O. Verhoeven,
  • Paul O. Verhoeven,
  • Stéphane Esnouf,
  • Muriel Ferry,
  • Nicolas Eterradossi,
  • Yannick Blanchard,
  • Paul Brown,
  • Philippe Roingeard,
  • Philippe Roingeard,
  • Philippe Roingeard,
  • Jean-Pierre Alcaraz,
  • Philippe Cinquin,
  • Philippe Cinquin,
  • Mustapha Si-Tahar,
  • Mustapha Si-Tahar,
  • Nathalie Heuzé-Vourc'h,
  • Nathalie Heuzé-Vourc'h

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2020.584036
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7

Abstract

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Background: The coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented shortage of healthcare resources, primarily personal protective equipment like surgical masks, and N95/filtering face piece type 2 (FFP2) respirators.Objective: Reuse of surgical masks and N95/FFP2 respirators may circumvent the supply chain constraints and thus overcome mass shortage. Methods, design, setting, and measurement: Herein, we tested the effects of dry- and moist-air controlled heating treatment on structure and chemical integrity, decontamination yield, and filtration performance of surgical masks and FFP2 respirators.Results: We found that treatment in a climate chamber at 70°C during 1 h with 75% humidity rate was adequate for enabling substantial decontamination of both respiratory viruses, oropharyngeal bacteria, and model animal coronaviuses, while maintaining a satisfying filtering capacity.Limitations: Further studies are now required to confirm the feasibility of the whole process during routine practice.Conclusion: Our findings provide compelling evidence for the recycling of pre-used surgical masks and N95/FFP2 respirators in case of imminent mass shortfall.

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