Jung Seojin, Hemmatian Tahmineh, Song Eugene, Lee Kyeongeun, Seo Dongwan, Yi Jehyung, Kim Jooyoun
Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Reliability Assessment Center, FITI Testing & Research Institute, Seoul 07791, Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2020 Dec 24;13(1):45. doi: 10.3390/polym13010045.
In the outbreak of COVID-19, the extended wear of single-use, disposable respirators was inevitable due to limited supplies. As a respirator is front-line protection against particulate matter, including bioaerosol and droplets, a comprehensive understanding for the reuse strategy is needed. In this study, eight different disinfection methods commonly applied for the reuse of respirators were compared for their influence on the filtration and bactericidal/bacteria removal performance, with in-depth discussion on the cause of effects. Treatments including oven-dry, ultraviolet irradiation (UV), microwaving, laundering with and without detergent, and immersion in hypochlorite, isopropanol, and ethanol were performed to respirators. Immersion in ethanol or isopropanol was effective for inactivation and removal of bacteria, yet such a treatment significantly deteriorated the filtration efficiency in about 20-28%, dissipating the surface charges. Laundering, while effective in removing the attached bacteria, triggered physical damage, leading to a possible reduction of filtration performance. A short-term oven-dry, UV irradiation, and microwaving mostly preserved the filtration performance, yet the drawback lied in the incomplete bactericidal efficiency. This study would contribute to the public health and safety by providing scientific background on the effect of disinfection treatment methods for respirators.
在新冠疫情爆发期间，由于供应有限，一次性使用的呼吸器不得不延长使用时间。呼吸器作为抵御包括生物气溶胶和飞沫在内的颗粒物的一线防护用品，需要对其重复使用策略有全面的了解。在本研究中，比较了常用于呼吸器重复使用的八种不同消毒方法对过滤及杀菌/除菌性能的影响，并深入探讨了影响的原因。对呼吸器进行了包括烘干、紫外线照射（UV）、微波处理、有无洗涤剂洗涤以及浸泡在次氯酸盐、异丙醇和乙醇中的处理。浸泡在乙醇或异丙醇中对细菌的灭活和去除有效，但这种处理使过滤效率显著降低了约20%-28%，表面电荷消散。洗涤虽然能有效去除附着的细菌，但会引发物理损伤，导致过滤性能可能下降。短期烘干、紫外线照射和微波处理大多能保持过滤性能，但其缺点是杀菌效率不完全。本研究通过提供呼吸器消毒处理方法效果的科学背景，将有助于公共卫生和安全。
