Effects of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) on N95 Respirator Filtration Performance and Structural Integrity
Effects of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) on N95 Respirator Filtration Performance and Structural Integrity
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DOI：
10.1080/15459624.2015.1018518
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发表时间：
2015-08-03
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Noti, John D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lindsley, William G.;Martin, Stephen B., Jr.;Noti, John D.
在流感等传染性呼吸道疾病大流行期间，可能需要对一次性N95过滤面罩呼吸器(FFR)进行消毒和重复使用的能力。紫外线杀菌照射(UVGI)是一种可能的呼吸机消毒方法。然而，紫外线辐射会降解聚合物，这意味着紫外线照射可能会降低一次性呼吸器保护工人的能力。为了研究这一点，我们将四种型号N95 FFR的材料券和呼吸器带的两侧暴露在120-950J/cm(2)的UVGI剂量下。然后，我们测试了各个呼吸器试剂层的颗粒渗透性、流动阻力和破裂强度，以及呼吸器带的断裂强度。我们发现，UVGI暴露导致颗粒渗透率略有增加(最高可达1.25%)，对流动阻力影响不大。UVGI暴露对呼吸器材料的强度有更明显的影响。在较高的UVGI剂量下，呼吸器材料层的强度大大降低(在某些情况下，降低了90%)。口罩材料强度的变化在不同型号的口罩中差别很大。UVGI对呼吸机带的影响较小；2360J/cm(2)剂量使呼吸器带的断裂强度降低20-51%。我们的结果表明，UVGI可以有效地消毒一次性呼吸器以供重复使用，但最大消毒周期将受到呼吸器型号和灭活病原体所需的UVGI剂量的限制。
The ability to disinfect and reuse disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) may be needed during a pandemic of an infectious respiratory disease such as influenza. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is one possible method for respirator disinfection. However, UV radiation degrades polymers, which presents the possibility that UVGI exposure could degrade the ability of a disposable respirator to protect the worker. To study this, we exposed both sides of material coupons and respirator straps from four models of N95 FFRs to UVGI doses from 120-950J/cm(2). We then tested the particle penetration, flow resistance, and bursting strengths of the individual respirator coupon layers, and the breaking strength of the respirator straps. We found that UVGI exposure led to a small increase in particle penetration (up to 1.25%) and had little effect on the flow resistance. UVGI exposure had a more pronounced effect on the strengths of the respirator materials. At the higher UVGI doses, the strength of the layers of respirator material was substantially reduced (in some cases, by >90%). The changes in the strengths of the respirator materials varied considerably among the different models of respirators. UVGI had less of an effect on the respirator straps; a dose of 2360J/cm(2) reduced the breaking strength of the straps by 20-51%. Our results suggest that UVGI could be used to effectively disinfect disposable respirators for reuse, but the maximum number of disinfection cycles will be limited by the respirator model and the UVGI dose required to inactivate the pathogen.