You are here:
COVID-19 Research: PPE Disinfection for Reuse
Citation:
Archer, J. AND A. Mikelonis. COVID-19 Research: PPE Disinfection for Reuse. Presented at US EPA Homeland Security Research Webinar - COVID19, NA, DC, April 29, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) researchers are building on an expansive body of biological wide-area remediation research by applying that knowledge to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This research will help states, tribes, local, and territorial governments, including public health agencies, and guide homeowners, business owners, and workplace managers to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The global COVID-19 outbreak has caused severe shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) prompting a need to provide supporting information into disinfection methods that enable PPE reuse. Data on virus disinfection efficacy for various types of specialized and non-specialized PPE materials are limited outside of healthcare setting applications. Further, disinfection efficacy tests coupled with wear cycles and integrity tests on the PPE materials after exposure to disinfectants need to be performed to ensure that the disinfection processes are not impacting protection of the wearer. This research strives to compile these results into easy to implement procedures for a broad range of stakeholders including frontline workers such as healthcare staff and emergency responders, as well as the general public. This will ensure that comprehensive mitigation strategies may be developed when PPE items are in limited supply and that the general public can implement/follow data driven guidance about how to clean their nonspecialized PPE items to prevent potential transmission via PPE surfaces and ensure continued protection.
Description:
The overall goal of this project is to provide the general public, emergency responders, and healthcare workers with initial information on the effectiveness of selected disinfection/cleaning technologies and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products for the disinfection/cleaning of specialized and non-specialized PPE items for potential reuse during the pandemic. This study will identify and evaluate disinfection techniques and cleaning protocols that can be used for the disinfection of disposable and reusable PPE contaminated with viruses. The project will evaluate technologies currently recommended in standard and crisis capacity strategies developed by both industry and U.S. government agencies. PPE categories to be evaluated for post-disinfection reuse will include eye protection, face protection, body protection, and respiratory protection. The primary research focus will be the testing of disinfectants for viral inactivation from PPE items used by the general public during the pandemic (some of which are not considered traditional PPE such as face coverings and clothing). Additionally, PPE items (e.g., N95 respirators, face shields, and Tyvek® suits) used by healthcare workers and emergency responders for protection from exposure to SARS-CoV-2 as well as other hazardous materials will be evaluated. The efficacy data and procedures used during testing will be summarized in the form of visual aids for easy interpretation by the general public and field responders.