RAPID: Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation for Disinfecting and Reuse of N95 Respirators

美国各地的医院都面临着医疗用品短缺的问题，特别是个人防护设备（PPE），如N95呼吸机。因此，迫切需要找到替代方法，在照顾COVID-19患者的同时保护医疗专业人员。大多数PPE（如N95消毒器）都是一次性使用的。就COVID-19而言，维持N95制冷机的供应已成为严峻挑战，因为新增供应与消耗率不匹配。此外，全球供应链在封锁状态下中断也导致了短缺。我们迫切需要开发有效的技术或工具箱，以帮助前线医护人员拥有抗击COVID-19疫情所需的个人防护装备。在这项研究中，研究小组将与纽约上州医科大学感染控制部门的临床研究人员和治疗COVID-19患者的社区医院联合卫生服务（UHS）合作，开发紫外线（UVC）杀菌辐照技术，以消毒和重复使用N95消毒器。过去曾研究过UVC照射来净化N95口罩;然而，其对COVID-19污染的N95口罩的有效性尚未得到充分证实。这项研究的总体目标是填补这一空白，并为在COVID-19大流行期间有效消毒和重复使用N95消毒器提供新的知识。几组研究人员正在测试诸如低热、汽化过氧化氢气体（VHPG）、UVC杀菌等消毒技术，以净化N95消毒机。与VHPG不同，UVC灭菌不需要复杂的仪器。UVC灭菌装置可以用相对简单的材料容易地建造。在COVID-19患者不像位于大城市的医疗中心那么多的中型和社区医院，它更适合和可操作。提议的研究小组开发了一个UVC浴站，每天可以消毒960台N95冰箱，如果使用两个站，每天可以消毒1，920台。然而，目前还没有关键数据来验证这些绝育的有效性。本研究旨在提供这些数据，并产生新的知识，以提高紫外线杀菌照射的效率。目前还不清楚UVC照射过程中产生的臭氧是否能改善消毒效果。一项基础研究将进行，以阐明臭氧对紫外线消毒的影响。此外，研究小组还将探索高波长UVC用于消毒被冠状病毒污染的N95冰箱。使用高波长UVC照射应减少N95聚合物的化学降解，延长其使用寿命。本研究旨在为UVC N95口罩消毒提供全面的数据和分析。这些数据对于无偏见地评估去污技术至关重要，并将深入了解冠状病毒能够承受紫外线照射的程度。研究臭氧和高波长UVC的辐照特性，将为设计更好的UVC N95口罩消毒系统提供新的知识。预计该研究的结果将有助于指导未来政府关于如何管理和适应PPE短缺的决策。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Hospitals across the US are facing shortage of medical supplies, especially personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 respirators. Consequently, there is a time-sensitive and critical need to find alternative means to keep medical professionals protected while caring for COVID-19 patients. Most PPE such as N95 respirators are designed for one-time use. For COVID-19, maintaining the supply of N95 respirators has become gravely challenging, as new supply has not matched the consumption rate. Moreover, disruption of global supply chains under lockdown also contributes to the shortage. There is an urgent need to develop effective technologies or toolboxes to help frontline healthcare workers have the PPE needed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, the research team will collaborate with clinical investigators in the Infectious Control Division at the New York Upstate Medical University and United Health Service (UHS), a community hospital treating COVID-19 patients, to develop ultraviolet (UVC) germicidal irradiation technology to disinfect and reuse N95 respirators. UVC irradiation has been investigated in the past to decontaminate N95 masks; however, its effectiveness on COVID-19 contaminated N95 masks is not well established. The overarching goal of this research is to fill this gap and generate new knowledge for effective disinfection and reuse of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sterilization technologies such as low heat, vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas (VHPG), UVC germicidal, etc. are being tested by several groups of investigators for decontaminating N95 respirators. Unlike VHPG, UVC sterilization does not require sophisticated instrumentation. A UVC sterilization unit can be built easily with relatively simple materials. It is more suitable and operable in medium size and community hospitals where COVID-19 patients are not as numerous as in medical centers located in large cities. The proposing research team has developed a UVC bath station capable of disinfecting 960 N95 respirators a day, and 1,920 a day if two stations are used. However, currently key data are not available to validate the efficacy of these sterilizations. This study is designed to provide this data and to generate new knowledge in order to improve efficiency of UV germicidal irradiation. It is also unclear whether ozone generated during UVC irradiation improves disinfection. A fundamental study will be performed to elucidate the impact of ozone on UVC sterilization. Furthermore, the research team will explore high wavelength UVC for disinfecting coronavirus-contaminated N95 respirators. The use of high wavelength UVC irradiation should reduce chemical degradation of the polymers of N95 respirators, extending their lifetime. This study is targeted to provide comprehensive data and analyses on UVC N95 mask disinfection. This data is essential for an unbiased assessment of the decontamination technique, and will provide insight into the extent to which coronaviruses can withstand UV irradiation. Studies on ozone and high wavelength UVC irradiation will provide new knowledge for designing a better UVC N95 mask sterilization system. It is anticipated that the results of the research will help guide future governmental decision making about how to manage and adapt to PPE shortages.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.