TY - JOUR
T1 - Addressing COVID-19 spread
T2 - Development of reliable testing system for mask reuse
AU - Lu, Haoxian
AU - Yao, Dawen
AU - Yip, Joanne
AU - Kan, Chi Wai
AU - Guo, Hai
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the University Strategic Importance Scheme of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1-ZE1M), and the Innovation and Technology Commission of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Public Sector Trial Scheme for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in Hong Kong (SST/029/20GP). We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Professor Ping-kong Wai and Professor Hau-chung Man for their coordination efforts.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s).
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - While the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc globally, self-protection from possible infection by wearing a mask in daily life has become the norm in many places. The unprecedented demand for masks has now attracted attention on their filtration efficiency. Furthermore, the widespread use of disposable masks has led to shortage of filter materials and problems with their haphazard disposal. In this study, a testing system that is based on standardized methods has been established and enhanced to reliably measure the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) of masks. Quality control experiments that examine the filtration efficiency of polystyrene latex (PSL) particles that are 0.1 μm in size and sodium chloride (NaCl) particles that range from 0.01-1.0 μm are conducted to determine the reliability of the testing system. Moreover, various textile materials are tested to fabricate 3-layer face masks, and the PFE of these masks is tested by using the proposed testing system to find the most suitable materials and the likelihood of their reusability. Among the tested materials, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) used as the membrane in the filter layer has the highest PFE of 88.33% ± 1.80%, which is mainly due to its dense and multilayer structure. The air permeability of the self-developed masks ranges from 1.41 ± 0.04 to 1.93 ± 0.08, less breathable than the commercial masks. The reusability of a mask that uses PTFE as the membrane in the filter layer is tested by gently washing the mask 30 times and then drying the mask in air before the PFE is measured. The PFE is only reduced by 10-20% after 30 washes, thus indicating the potential reusability of the mask. The findings in this study will contribute to reducing the pressure of mask shortages and are an environmentally friendly solution to the massive use of disposable masks.
AB - While the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc globally, self-protection from possible infection by wearing a mask in daily life has become the norm in many places. The unprecedented demand for masks has now attracted attention on their filtration efficiency. Furthermore, the widespread use of disposable masks has led to shortage of filter materials and problems with their haphazard disposal. In this study, a testing system that is based on standardized methods has been established and enhanced to reliably measure the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) of masks. Quality control experiments that examine the filtration efficiency of polystyrene latex (PSL) particles that are 0.1 μm in size and sodium chloride (NaCl) particles that range from 0.01-1.0 μm are conducted to determine the reliability of the testing system. Moreover, various textile materials are tested to fabricate 3-layer face masks, and the PFE of these masks is tested by using the proposed testing system to find the most suitable materials and the likelihood of their reusability. Among the tested materials, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) used as the membrane in the filter layer has the highest PFE of 88.33% ± 1.80%, which is mainly due to its dense and multilayer structure. The air permeability of the self-developed masks ranges from 1.41 ± 0.04 to 1.93 ± 0.08, less breathable than the commercial masks. The reusability of a mask that uses PTFE as the membrane in the filter layer is tested by gently washing the mask 30 times and then drying the mask in air before the PFE is measured. The PFE is only reduced by 10-20% after 30 washes, thus indicating the potential reusability of the mask. The findings in this study will contribute to reducing the pressure of mask shortages and are an environmentally friendly solution to the massive use of disposable masks.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Mask testing system
KW - Particle filtration efficiency
KW - Reusable mask
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095406565&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0275
DO - 10.4209/aaqr.2020.06.0275
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85095406565
VL - 20
SP - 2309
EP - 2317
JO - Aerosol and Air Quality Research
JF - Aerosol and Air Quality Research
SN - 1680-8584
IS - 11
ER -