Bacterial filtration efficiency of medical face masks – Evaluation of the use of disposable plastic petri dishes in Andersen impactor

Abstract

Bacterial filtration efficiency is the main characteristic of medical face masks effectivity and quality. The testing method is given by European and US, respectively, standard. The method is based on the analysis of biological aerosol with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus in Andersen cascade impactor. The Andersen impactor contains six stages simulating the different parts of the respiratory tract, from the upper part with the larger droplets to the lungs with the small aerosol particles of the submicron size. The particles are separated depending on the size and sediment on agar medium in Petri dishes filled in the impactor. The use of the glass Petri dishes is recommended for the Andersen impactor, but the most of laboratories prefer the disposable plastic dishes, actually. The evaluation of the use of plastic dishes in Andersen impactor for the determination of the bacterial filtration efficiency of the medical face masks is the aim of this study.