Abstract
The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), triggered by the rapid community spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has brought forward the need for speedy testing and manufacturing of respiratory face masks for global use. Overwhelmed by the fast-growing demand for disposable face masks, many governments have recommended the use of, and elaborated design criteria for, reusable face masks that are meant to slow down the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population. Using aerosol particle size spectrometers, we performed particle size distribution measurements and calculated the fractional aerosol particle size-selective filtration efficiencies of over 300 fabrics and fabric-assemblies, including chiffon, cotton, synthetics, and various promising layered combinations. We suggest, and experimentally verify, a simple way for estimating the aerosol filtration efficiency of layered fabrics. The analysis herein investigates the relationship between the breathability and filtration properties of fabrics, assemblies of fabrics, and commercial reusable masks from various regions around the globe. In addition, we demonstrate how a hydrophobic coating can provide a statistically significant increase in the fabrics’ filtration efficiency. The insights of this work are crucial to developing non-woven, high-filtration-performance, reusable face masks that can be worn for extended periods of time. © The Author(s).
Highlights
During the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, the persistent global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been one of the most urgent threats to curbing the unfolding pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present work sought to establish a robust workflow for testing fabrics and provide an overarching picture of their properties in the context of various standards imposed by governments and regulatory bodies
Starting from the results provided by the semi-automated text-mining platform TaxilaTM, we established a workflow for screening and analyzing various fabrics and assemblies of fabrics from which reusable face masks can be fabricated
Summary
During the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, the persistent global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been one of the most urgent threats to curbing the unfolding pandemic. The availability of face masks for healthcare workers was, and still is, of prime concern, reducing the basic reproductive number (R0) of COVID-19 relies on the widespread implementation of measures in the general population, e.g., social distancing, the wearing of face masks, remote working. By June 2020, for example, more than 5.7 billion people (approximately 75% of the world’s population) were under provisions to wear face masks in various public places, and their number only increased (Wikipedia, 2020). As of 5 June 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) advised governments to encourage the general population to use face masks to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-19 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) (BBC News, 2020; The New York Times, 2020). Mathematical models of an influenza pandemic scenario (Tracht et al, 2010) and a COVID-19 pandemic scenario (Stutt et al, 2020) show that the use of masks at the population level significantly decreases the infection rate and helps contain the pandemic (Brienen et al, 2010)
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