Manuel Döhla, Elena Becker, Heike Granzer, Eugen Gubajdulin, Peter Langer, Christina Mutschnik, Patrick L Scheid, Jana Wiemann, Ralf M Hagen
{"title":"Successful establishment and evaluation of a reprocessing concept via steam at 105 °C for FFP masks in hospitals in case of logistic shortages.","authors":"Manuel Döhla, Elena Becker, Heike Granzer, Eugen Gubajdulin, Peter Langer, Christina Mutschnik, Patrick L Scheid, Jana Wiemann, Ralf M Hagen","doi":"10.1080/15459624.2024.2406237","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Filtering face piece (FFP) masks according to EN 149 <i>Respiratory protective devices - Filtering half masks to protect against particles - Requirements, testing, marking</i> are essential components of personal protective equipment against biological agents from an occupational health and hospital hygiene perspective. Therefore, shortages due to increased demand or supply bottlenecks can lead to staff threats due to the risk of infection. To determine whether FFP masks could be made reusable in a hospital setting, a thermal reprocessing concept (steam at 105 °C with a holding phase of 10 min) was evaluated in a bed reprocessing chamber. The results indicate that it is logistically possible to establish a reprocessing concept. Of 267 reprocessed masks, 48 were rejected by inspection because of defect strapping, trapped hair, misfolding, and missing lot number or deformation, and 22 masks were rejected by bacteriological examination because of contamination > 10 CFU of total bacteria per 25 cm<sup>2</sup> or the presence of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. Two selected mask models maintained the expected mask performance equivalent to the FFP2 standard after reprocessing. Thermal reprocessing resulted in a virucidal effect. The results show that reprocessing of FFP masks in hospitals is possible. However, the success of reprocessing depends on the type of mask used. This study identified a suitable mask type for which the reported method is bactericidal and virucidal without impairing mask performance. The reported method required the use of a stationary hospital bed reprocessing chamber (sanitizing washer), so it cannot be used everywhere. Other methods and procedures should be tested to be independent of a bed reprocessing chamber and therefore may be more mobile and flexible.</p>","PeriodicalId":16599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"895-908"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2024.2406237","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/10/30 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Filtering face piece (FFP) masks according to EN 149 Respiratory protective devices - Filtering half masks to protect against particles - Requirements, testing, marking are essential components of personal protective equipment against biological agents from an occupational health and hospital hygiene perspective. Therefore, shortages due to increased demand or supply bottlenecks can lead to staff threats due to the risk of infection. To determine whether FFP masks could be made reusable in a hospital setting, a thermal reprocessing concept (steam at 105 °C with a holding phase of 10 min) was evaluated in a bed reprocessing chamber. The results indicate that it is logistically possible to establish a reprocessing concept. Of 267 reprocessed masks, 48 were rejected by inspection because of defect strapping, trapped hair, misfolding, and missing lot number or deformation, and 22 masks were rejected by bacteriological examination because of contamination > 10 CFU of total bacteria per 25 cm2 or the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Two selected mask models maintained the expected mask performance equivalent to the FFP2 standard after reprocessing. Thermal reprocessing resulted in a virucidal effect. The results show that reprocessing of FFP masks in hospitals is possible. However, the success of reprocessing depends on the type of mask used. This study identified a suitable mask type for which the reported method is bactericidal and virucidal without impairing mask performance. The reported method required the use of a stationary hospital bed reprocessing chamber (sanitizing washer), so it cannot be used everywhere. Other methods and procedures should be tested to be independent of a bed reprocessing chamber and therefore may be more mobile and flexible.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene ( JOEH ) is a joint publication of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) and ACGIH®. The JOEH is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to enhancing the knowledge and practice of occupational and environmental hygiene and safety by widely disseminating research articles and applied studies of the highest quality.
The JOEH provides a written medium for the communication of ideas, methods, processes, and research in core and emerging areas of occupational and environmental hygiene. Core domains include, but are not limited to: exposure assessment, control strategies, ergonomics, and risk analysis. Emerging domains include, but are not limited to: sensor technology, emergency preparedness and response, changing workforce, and management and analysis of "big" data.