BackgroundIn the context of the ongoing
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (
SARS-CoV-2 )
pandemic , the
supply of
personal protective equipment remains under severe
strain . To
address this issue, re-use of surgical
face masks and filtering facepiece
respirators has been recommended; prior
decontamination is paramount to their re-use. AimWe aim to provide
information on the effects of three
decontamination procedures on
porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV)-contaminated
masks and
respirators , presenting a stable model for infectious
coronavirus decontamination of these typically single-use-only products. MethodsSurgical
masks and filtering facepiece
respirator coupons and straps were inoculated with infectious PRCV and submitted to three
decontamination treatments , UV irradiation, vaporised H2O2, and dry
heat treatment .
Viruses were recovered from sample
materials and viral titres were measured in
swine testicle cells . FindingsUV irradiation, vaporised H2O2 and dry
heat reduced infectious PRCV by more than three orders of
magnitude on
mask and
respirator coupons and rendered it undetectable in all
decontamination assays. ConclusionThis is the first description of stable
disinfection of
face masks and filtering facepiece
respirators contaminated with an infectious
SARS-CoV-2 surrogate using UV irradiation, vaporised H2O2 and dry
heat treatment . The three
methods permit demonstration of a loss of infectivity by more than three orders of
magnitude of an infectious
coronavirus in line with the FDA
policy regarding
face masks and
respirators . It presents advantages of uncomplicated manipulation and utilisation in a BSL2 facility, therefore being easily adaptable to other
respirator and
mask types.