Options for the decontamination and reuse of respirators in the context of the

Shortage of surgical masks and respirators - alternatives // TECHNICAL REPORT Options for the decontamination and reuse of respirators in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic 8 June 2020 Summary In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a worldwide shortage of respirators or filtering face pieces (FFP). [...] In order to be applicable in healthcare settings the decontamination method should effectively remove the viral particles, should be harmless to the user, and should not damage the functionality of the various elements of the FFP [4]. [...] 2 TECHNICAL REPORT Options for the decontamination and reuse of respirators in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Options for filtering face pieces decontamination and reuse When considering an effective method for FFP decontamination and reuse, the following points should be taken into consideration: The method should inactivate the contaminating organisms; The function of the FFP should no. [...] 4 TECHNICAL REPORT Options for the decontamination and reuse of respirators in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Moist heat incubation The use of moist heat incubation (MHI) is a promising approach for the decontamination and reuse of respirators. [...] The two germicidal + + + main caveats are the dose of radiation irradiation / required and the shadow effects (UVGI) produced by the structure of the respirator which could interfere with the decontamination Gas Consistent risk of persistence of the Ethylene [10,17,18] + + + ethylene oxide in the respirator, which oxide / is harmful to the user Steam Steam Respirators physical deformation or +.