Evaluation of at-home methods for N95 filtering facepiece respirator decontamination.

ABSTRACT: N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are essential for the protection of healthcare professionals and other high-risk groups against Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19). In response to shortages in FFRs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization permitting FFR decontamination and reuse. However, although industrial decontamination services are available at some large institutions, FFR decontamination is not widely accessible. To be effective, FFR decontamination must (1) inactivate the virus; (2) preserve FFR integrity, specifically fit and filtering capability; and (3) be non-toxic and safe. Here we identify and test at-home heat-based methods for FFR decontamination that meet these requirements using common househ

SUBMITTER: Chen TX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8492771 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature