Decontamination and Reuse of N95 Respirators with Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor to Address Worldwide Personal Protective Equipment Shortages During the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Antony Schwartz^{1

2}, Matthew Stiegel^{1

2}, Nicole Greeson¹, Andrea Vogel³, Wayne Thomann^{1

2}, Monte Brown⁴, Gregory D Sempowski⁵, Thomas Scott Alderman⁵, James Patrick Condreay⁵, James Burch⁵, Cameron Wolfe⁶, Becky Smith⁶, Sarah Lewis⁶

Affiliations

¹ Occupational & Environmental Safety Office, Duke University & Health System, Durham, NC, USA.
² Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Family Medicine & Community Health, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
³ National Biosafety & Biocontainment Training Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁴ Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA.
⁵ Duke School of Medicine, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
⁶ Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

Antony Schwartz et al. Appl Biosaf. 2020.

. 2020 Jun 1;25(2):67-70.

doi: 10.1177/1535676020919932. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

¹ Occupational & Environmental Safety Office, Duke University & Health System, Durham, NC, USA.
² Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Family Medicine & Community Health, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
³ National Biosafety & Biocontainment Training Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁴ Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA.
⁵ Duke School of Medicine, Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
⁶ Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

No abstract available

Keywords: N95; PAPR; decontamination; hydrogen peroxide vapor; personal protective equipment; respirator.

Figures

1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Temporary enforcement guidance—healthcare respiratory protection annual fit-testing for N95 filtering facepieces during the COVID-19 outbreak. March 14, 2020. https://www.osha.gov/memos/2020-03-14/temporary-enforcement-guidance-hea.... Accessed 16 March 2020.
1. Final report for the Bioquell hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) decontamination for reuse of N95 respirators. Prepared by Battelle Columbus, Ohio. Prepared under Contract No. HHSF223201400098C. Study Number 3245. Prepared for the FDA. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-regulatory-s.... July 2016. Accessed 4 March 2020.
1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-1—Table Z-1 limits for air contaminants. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1000.... Published 9 January 2017. Accessed 16 March 2020.