Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity
In the outbreak of COVID-19, the extended wear of single-use, disposable respirators was inevitable due to limited supplies. As a respirator is front-line protection against particulate matter, including bioaerosol and droplets, a comprehensive understanding for the reuse strategy is needed. In this...
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doaj-5d9ad73a925b4a0bb423c719372d62dd2020-12-25T00:04:58ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602021-12-0113454510.3390/polym13010045Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural IntegritySeojin Jung0Tahmineh Hemmatian1Eugene Song2Kyeongeun Lee3Dongwan Seo4Jehyung Yi5Jooyoun Kim6Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaDepartment of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaDepartment of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaDepartment of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaReliability Assessment Center, FITI Testing & Research Institute, Seoul 07791, KoreaDepartment of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaDepartment of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, KoreaIn the outbreak of COVID-19, the extended wear of single-use, disposable respirators was inevitable due to limited supplies. As a respirator is front-line protection against particulate matter, including bioaerosol and droplets, a comprehensive understanding for the reuse strategy is needed. In this study, eight different disinfection methods commonly applied for the reuse of respirators were compared for their influence on the filtration and bactericidal/bacteria removal performance, with in-depth discussion on the cause of effects. Treatments including oven-dry, ultraviolet irradiation (UV), microwaving, laundering with and without detergent, and immersion in hypochlorite, isopropanol, and ethanol were performed to respirators. Immersion in ethanol or isopropanol was effective for inactivation and removal of bacteria, yet such a treatment significantly deteriorated the filtration efficiency in about 20–28%, dissipating the surface charges. Laundering, while effective in removing the attached bacteria, triggered physical damage, leading to a possible reduction of filtration performance. A short-term oven-dry, UV irradiation, and microwaving mostly preserved the filtration performance, yet the drawback lied in the incomplete bactericidal efficiency. This study would contribute to the public health and safety by providing scientific background on the effect of disinfection treatment methods for respirators.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/1/45respiratorreusepublic healthfiltrationelectrostaticmechanical |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Seojin Jung Tahmineh Hemmatian Eugene Song Kyeongeun Lee Dongwan Seo Jehyung Yi Jooyoun Kim |
spellingShingle |
Seojin Jung Tahmineh Hemmatian Eugene Song Kyeongeun Lee Dongwan Seo Jehyung Yi Jooyoun Kim Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity Polymers respirator reuse public health filtration electrostatic mechanical |
author_facet |
Seojin Jung Tahmineh Hemmatian Eugene Song Kyeongeun Lee Dongwan Seo Jehyung Yi Jooyoun Kim |
author_sort |
Seojin Jung |
title |
Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity |
title_short |
Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity |
title_full |
Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity |
title_fullStr |
Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity |
title_sort |
disinfection treatments of disposable respirators influencing the bactericidal/bacteria removal efficiency, filtration performance, and structural integrity |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Polymers |
issn |
2073-4360 |
publishDate |
2021-12-01 |
description |
In the outbreak of COVID-19, the extended wear of single-use, disposable respirators was inevitable due to limited supplies. As a respirator is front-line protection against particulate matter, including bioaerosol and droplets, a comprehensive understanding for the reuse strategy is needed. In this study, eight different disinfection methods commonly applied for the reuse of respirators were compared for their influence on the filtration and bactericidal/bacteria removal performance, with in-depth discussion on the cause of effects. Treatments including oven-dry, ultraviolet irradiation (UV), microwaving, laundering with and without detergent, and immersion in hypochlorite, isopropanol, and ethanol were performed to respirators. Immersion in ethanol or isopropanol was effective for inactivation and removal of bacteria, yet such a treatment significantly deteriorated the filtration efficiency in about 20–28%, dissipating the surface charges. Laundering, while effective in removing the attached bacteria, triggered physical damage, leading to a possible reduction of filtration performance. A short-term oven-dry, UV irradiation, and microwaving mostly preserved the filtration performance, yet the drawback lied in the incomplete bactericidal efficiency. This study would contribute to the public health and safety by providing scientific background on the effect of disinfection treatment methods for respirators. |
topic |
respirator reuse public health filtration electrostatic mechanical |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/1/45 |
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