Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a worldwide shortage of N95 respirators, prompting the development of decontamination methods to enable limited reuse. Countries lacking reliable supply chains would also benefit from the ability to safely reuse PPE. Methylene blue (MB) is a light-activated dye with demonstrated antimicrobial activity used to sterilize blood plasma. Decontamination of respirators using photoactivated MB requires no specialized equipment, making it attractive for use in the field during outbreaks.
Methods: We examined decontamination of N95 and KN95 respirators using photoactivated MB and 3 variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and 4 World Health Organization priority pathogens: Ebola virus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Nipah virus, and Lassa virus. Virus inactivation by pretreating respirator material was also tested.
Results: Photoactivated MB inactivated all tested viruses on respirator material, albeit with varying efficiency. Virus applied to respirator material pre-treated with MB was also inactivated, thus MB pretreatment may potentially protect respirator wearers from virus exposure in real-time.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate that photoactivated MB represents a cost-effective, rapid, and widely deployable method to decontaminate N95 respirators for reuse during supply shortages.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9329093 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2022.02.016 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Making Accessible and Attractive Porosities in Block Copolymer Nanofibers for Highly Permeable and Durable Air Filtration.
Small
December 2024
School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210096, China.
Submicron particulate matter (PM) can penetrate deeply into human tissue, posing a serious threat to human health. However, the electrostatic charge of commercial respirators is easily dissipated, making it difficult to maintain long-term filtration. Herein, a hierarchically porous filter based on nanofibers with accessible porosity and particulate-attractive surfaces, achieving significant filtration performance is developed through polarity-driven interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessment of Sub-micrometer-Sized Particles with Practical Activities in an Underground Coal Mine.
Min Metall Explor
November 2024
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA USA.
Unlabelled: This assessment was designed to explore and characterize the airborne particles, especially for the sub-micrometer sizes, in an underground coal mine. Airborne particles present in the breathing zone were evaluated by using both (1) direct reading real-time instruments (RTIs) to measure real-time particle number concentrations in the workplaces and (2) gravimetric samplers to collect airborne particles to obtain mass concentrations and conduct further characterizations. Airborne coal mine particles were collected via three samplers: inhalable particle sampler (37 mm cassette with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) filter), respirable dust cyclone (10 mm nylon cyclone with 37 mm Zefon cassette and PVC filter), and a Tsai diffusion sampler (TDS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMold remediation in homes after flooding.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
December 2024
Ochsner Health System, Department of Allergy/Immunology and Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Electronic address:
Flooding events, particularly those caused by hurricanes and other large storm events, are increasingly fueled by climate change. Stormwater intrusion into homes creates ideal conditions for mold growth. Homes inundated by floodwaters become vulnerable to production of mold spores, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds, all of which trigger a variety of poor health outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevalence, management, health-care burden, and 90-day outcomes of prolonged mechanical ventilation in the paediatric intensive care unit (LongVentKids): an international, prospective, cross-sectional cohort study.
Lancet Child Adolesc Health
January 2025
CHU Sainte Justine Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Background: The number of children requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) has increased with the advancement of medical care. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of PMV worldwide, document demographic and clinical characteristics of children requiring PMV in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), and to understand variation in clinical practice and health-care burden.
Methods: This international, multicentre, cross-sectional cohort study screened participating PICUs in 28 countries for children aged >37 postgestational weeks to 17 years who had been receiving mechanical ventilation (MV; invasive or non-invasive) for at least 14 consecutive days.
Drillers and bulldozer operators have experienced exceptionally high exposures to respirable crystalline silica in US surface coal mines.
Occup Environ Med
December 2024
School of Public Health, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Introduction: Previous studies suggest respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is an important driver of resurgent pneumoconiosis among US coal miners. Although greater attention has been focused on dust exposures in underground coal miners, surface miners are also at risk of severe disease. This study explores RCS exposure in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!