Cleaning of Filtering Facepiece Respirators Contaminated with Mucin and Staphylococcus aureus
Abstract
Decontamination and reuse of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) has been proposed to mitigate an anticipated shortage of FFRs caused by pandemic influenza. A wealth of research has been reported on this topic, but a data gap exists in the area of cleaning FFRs. This study evaluates the cleaning of three surgical N95 FFRs by three commercial wipe products as an initial exploration of this area. FFRs were contaminated with either Staphylococcus aureus or mucin using aerosol methods, then cleaned with one of three wipe products --two of which contain antimicrobial agents (hypochlorite and benzalkonium chloride (BAC)). Prior to extraction and quantification of the contaminants, the FFRs were deconstructed and separated into the principal components (nose pad, fabrics, and perforated edge strip, if present), allowing the cleaning efficiency for each piece to be evaluated separately. The antimicrobial-free wipe achieved ~1-log reduction in viable S. aureus on the FFR fabrics from all three FFR models. Removal was less effective on FFR nose pads and perforated edges. The antimicrobial wipes achieved 3~5-log reduction in viable S. aureus on most samples, presumably aided by disinfectant properties. Lower reductions were observed on nose pads; higher reductions were observed on materials with rough textures, presumably due to accumulation of the antimicrobial agent in these areas. Mucin removal efficiency was < 1 log on all FFRs. Evaluation of particle penetration following cleaning yielded mean values < 5%. However, the wipe containing BAC enabled significantly higher penetration than the other wipe products. The significance of these data to the concept of decontamination and reuse of FFRs will remain open to consideration until actual contamination of these devices during use has been measured. This study will both lead to and inform future research aimed at developing better FFRs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA594130
Entities
People
- April E. Lumley
- Brian K. Heimbuch
- Delbert A. Harnish
- Joseph D. Wander
- Kimberly Kinney
- Michael Bergman
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory