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Simple respiratory protection--evaluation of the filtration performance of cloth masks and common fabric materials against 20-1000 nm size particles.

Authors
Rengasamy S; Eimer B; Shaffer RE
Source
Ann Occup Hyg 2010 Oct; 54(7):789-798
NIOSHTIC No.
20036997
Abstract
A shortage of disposable filtering facepiece respirators can be expected during a pandemic respiratory infection such as influenza A. Some individuals may want to use common fabric materials for respiratory protection because of shortage or affordability reasons. To address the filtration performance of common fabric materials against nano-size particles including viruses, five major categories of fabric materials including sweatshirts, T-shirts, towels, scarves, and cloth masks were tested for polydisperse and monodisperse aerosols (20-1000 nm) at two different face velocities (5.5 and 16.5 cm s(-1)) and compared with the penetration levels for N95 respirator filter media. The results showed that cloth masks and other fabric materials tested in the study had 40-90% instantaneous penetration levels against polydisperse NaCl aerosols employed in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health particulate respirator test protocol at 5.5 cm s(-1). Similarly, varying levels of penetrations (9-98%) were obtained for different size monodisperse NaCl aerosol particles in the 20-1000 nm range. The penetration levels of these fabric materials against both polydisperse and monodisperse aerosols were much higher than the penetrations for the control N95 respirator filter media. At 16.5 cm s(-1) face velocity, monodisperse aerosol penetrations slightly increased, while polydisperse aerosol penetrations showed no significant effect except one fabric mask with an increase. Results obtained in the study show that common fabric materials may provide marginal protection against nanoparticles including those in the size ranges of virus-containing particles in exhaled breath.
Keywords
Respirators; Respiratory-protective-equipment; Respiratory-protection; Viral-diseases; Viral-infections; Nanotechnology; Aerosols; Aerosol-particles; Author Keywords: fabric material; H1N1; H5N1; infectious aerosol; influenza; pandemic; particle penetration; respiratory protection
Contact
Samy Rengasamy, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, Technology Research Branch, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA
CODEN
AOHYA3
Publication Date
20101001
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
ARengasamy@cdc.gov
Fiscal Year
2011
Issue of Publication
7
ISSN
0003-4878
NIOSH Division
NPPTL
Source Name
Annals of Occupational Hygiene
State
PA
Page last reviewed: May 11, 2023
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Information Division