Wearing any respirator including a "Disposable N95 Filtering Face-piece Respirator" is serious business. It should not be issued as a "Placebo". Any person wearing an N95 mask should know the limitations of protection and the risks associated with wearing it.
I have been extensively involved in respiratory protection for most of my IH/Safety and Health Physics career (50 years) I have written, implemented, administered, inspected, audited, evaluated and revised respiratory programs for many clients. I have worn just about every type of respirator produced in the last 50 years. I have personally issued respirators to thousands of workers. I have also sampled and analyzed the workplace atmosphere at thousands locations and specified the respiratory protection required. Suffice it to say I know a bit about respiratory protection.
Unless OSHA has issued a nationwide blanket, temporary, variance to 29 CFR 1910.134 any employer that allows an employee to wear an N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator without complying with the applicable OSHA standards is subject to citations for non-compliance. Any citations for non-compliance will be issued based on CPL-02-00-158 (Inspection Procedures for the Respiratory Protection Standard).
The following is a reprint of an OSHA Regulatory Interpretation regarding the N-95 Filtering Face-piece Disposable Respirators and Standard Number: 1910.134, 1910.134(b), 1910.134(c)(2) , 1910.134(h)
"-The N95 filtering facepiece respirator is a "disposable respirator." It must be discarded after use, or when it becomes damaged or soiled. It cannot be cleaned and disinfected according to the method described in Appendix B-2. OSHA is presently not aware of any alternate procedures provided by respirator manufacturers in their user instructions that would allow for cleaning and disinfecting their filtering facepiece respirators.
Many requirements in paragraph (h), however, would still be applicable to N95 filtering facepiece respirators. For example, employers must provide respirators that are clean, sanitary, and in good working order [(h)(1)]. If a respirator cannot be cleaned and disinfected, it may not be used by more than one user [(h)(1)(ii)], and, once soiled or contaminated, it can no longer be maintained in a sanitary condition [(h)(1)(i)] and must be discarded. If respirators are to be reused, they must be stored to protect them from damage, contamination, dust, sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, and damaging chemicals; and they must be stored to prevent deformation of the facepiece or exhalation valve [(h)(2)(i)]. Employers must also ensure the respirators are inspected before each use [(h)(3)(i)(A) and (ii)]. Respirators that fail an inspection, or are otherwise found to be defective, must be removed from service [(h)(4)]-." (Thomas Galassi, Director Directorate of Enforcement Programs, November 22, 2011)
The OSHA protection factor for this N95 Respirator is 10, meaning the concentration of contaminants inside the mask is expected to be 1/10 that of the local ambient air and this is assuming the wearer is clean shaven, donned the mask properly and maintains the proper fit during the period of use. The specification parts of the standard requires strict maintenance, inspection, storage and limitations of use as well as training.
In other words if the mask is donned, doffed and maintained in a, for lack of a better term, willy-nilly fashion it is not likely to provide any substantive protection.
Moreover, if members of the general public are wearing any kind of mask without proper training and due diligence. The mask, in my opinion, will more than likely exacerbate the risk of exposure. Touching the face-piece by the untrained, inexperienced wearer risks cross contamination of both the outside and inside of the mask. The mask will also cover much of the face area except the eyes. Therefore, if and when the inexperienced wearer does touch his or her face it will be closer to the eyes or the eyes directly.
Regardless of what TV Talking-heads, would-be experts and Politicians say, The concept of anything is better than nothing does not apply here. The tried and true precautions for seasonal flu protections are probably best for the general public. If someone is coughing or sneezing stay well away from them.
If you are personally high-risk, limit contact with others. If you are not high risk stay away from those at high risk. If you exhibit symptoms get tested. I you tested positive or think you have the virus call your doctor for instructions, stay home and follow your doctors instructions. When out and about keep your distance. Don't touch or handle anything you don't need to. Use germicide and wash your hands frequently whenever possible. Above all do not touch your eyes, that is a common and easy path for the virus to enter the body.
If you work in a health care setting follow your employers instructions.
Hopefully, this cloud has a silver lining and in the future we will also take the seasonal flu seriously. In America, 35,000 died of the flu this year and 80,000 last year with an average death rate for the flu of about 30,000 per year. I'm sure if we exercise a modicum of diligence we can reduce these numbers.
Jim Keating
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of Chance, Brandon
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2020 2:08 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] N-95 disinfection and reuse: The NIOSH Guidance has Been Released!
Martin,
The metal nasal strip is concerning to me regarding the microwave heat approach. Now I am thinking of using the moist heat method in the oven, just need to find appropriate containers and racks.
Regards,
Brandon S. Chance, MS, CCHO
Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Southern Methodist University
We were initially thinking about using the same method until the NIOSH Guidance was released. We are now develop a protocol for Microwave Steam Heat. It presents some challenges but I think we can overcome the issues.
Martin W. Bell, M.S. CIH CSP
Director, Environmental Compliance
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
We were preparing to start implementing the Stanford approach using a drying oven at 158F as we do not have the gaseous hydrogen peroxide setup available at SMU and it seemed like the best approach for disinfecting a few dozen masks at a time. NIOSH however, recommends against dry heat due to degradation of filter media.
Thoughts?
Regards,
Brandon S. Chance, MS, CCHO
Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Southern Methodist University
Mike and colleagues:
Duke University Hospitals has developed a very successful method using hydrogen peroxide and have presented a webinar on the method. It has been quite successful and is very well vetted by a highly respected group of industrial hygienists, virologists, medical doctors, etc.
Please take a listen to their approach (which is in practice today).
https://www.safety.duke.edu/news-events/webinar-n95-decontamination-using-h2o2
Zack
S.Z. Mansdorf, PhD, CIH, CSP, QEP
Consultant in EHS and Sustainability
7184 Via Palomar
Boca Raton, FL 33433
561-212-7288
Here's the eagerly awaited NIOSH document summarizing the current situation. The paper bag method is at the very beginning. Useful tables address the other methods. And there is a warning that none of these methods is as good as getting a new N95 after each use.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/decontamination-reuse-respirators.html
Mike
Michael J. Wright
Director of Health, Safety and Environment
United Steelworkers
412-562-2580 office
412-370-0105 cell
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
Jack Layton
No. Some disinfectants are toxic if inhaled, they may compromise the integrity of the melt-blown fabric that the facepiece uses, and five days should be enough to sufficiently degrade the virus. However, I was only reporting what I've heard NIOSH is concluding. The guidance document isn't out yet.
Michael J. Wright
Director of Health, Safety and Environment
United Steelworkers
412-562-2580 office
412-370-0105 cell
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
Jack Layton
Maybe spray it with a disinfectant spray before placing in the bag
NIOSH is about to come out with new guidance on disinfection and reuse. As I understand it, the Battelle system will get high marks. And one expedient is to put a used N95 in a paper bag for five days before reusing it, since there's pretty fair evidence that the virus will be sufficiently degraded in 2-3 days. We've been urging them to say in the guidance that these are stopgap measures, not as protective as getting a new respirator after every use, and only to be used in a supply crisis.
These are excruciating problems. We're talking to health care workers every day who are short of not just respirators, but gowns, face shields, booties, gloves. And for their patients the projected shortages aren't just beds and ventilators but, in one case, IV tubing. There's enough blame to go around, but some of it falls on hospital administrators, who take pride in running a hospital "like a business," and think an MBA outweighs a MPH or MD. And that's equally true for the "nonprofit" hospitals. Just-in-time supply works well in an auto plant. Not in a hospital; not in a pandemic.
Mike
Michael J. Wright
Director of Health, Safety and Environment
United Steelworkers
412-562-2580 office
412-370-0105 cell
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
Jack Layton
I haven't had time to read through the full set of emails on this, so sorry if this is a repeat. Battelle has some basic information on the system on the website.
Sent from my Verizon LG Smartphone
Well, thank you Jack and Stanford. Finally a nice clear presentation on these issues stating what we all probably knew deep in our kishehs. Monona
-----Original Message-----
From: Jack Reidy <jreidy2**At_Symbol_Here**stanford.edu< a="">></jreidy2**At_Symbol_Here**stanford.edu<>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Sent: Mon, Mar 30, 2020 12:11 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] N-95 disinfection and reuse
Research Safety Specialist
Environmental Health & Safety
484 Oak Road, Stanford, CA, 94305
On pages 5-6 there is a good discussion of the various methods that can be used to disinfect N-95s, including a helpful table and references. One refence shows that hot water vapor from boiling water for ten minutes is an effective decontamination method.
At Yale, we plan to use vaporized hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate and reuse N-95s using the methods described here:
Director, Yale Office of Environmental Health and Safety
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas
