Hygienic assessment of the use of masks by airport workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The use of respiratory protection is one of the measures for the non-specific prophylaxis of coronavirus infection. The wearing of masks is mandatory for the entire population in several countries, including Russia. The object of the study is airport workers who are at an increased risk of infection. They are in contact with many passengers arriving from other countries where mass vaccination has not yet been carried out. The study aims to assess the hygienic prevalence of adverse reactions when using face masks, to identify risk factors for their occurrence. A questionnaire survey and an evaluation of the bacterial contamination of the masks after wearing were carried out. Face sweating under the mask (68.60 %) and feeling short of breath (66.94 %) were the most frequent and pronounced reactions to wearing in comparison with other manifestations (p < 0.001). The more often an adverse reaction occurred, the more apparent it was (r = 0.79–0.95). We found a moderate positive relationship between wearing time and the frequency of facial sweating (r = 0.31). Facial skin reactions were more frequent and pronounced among users of a cotton mask compared with users of neoprene and non-woven masks. An association was found between the frequency and severity of skin manifestations and bacterial contamination of the inner mask’s surface after wearing. A moderate positive relationship was found between the colonies number and wearing time for neoprene and cotton masks (r = 0.33 and 0.46, respectively). The number of colonies increases with the duration of wearing. Factors aggravating adverse reactions’ manifestation: problem skin, young age, moderate and hard work. Recommended: keep the skin clean and well hydrated, change the mask every 2 hours, select the face mask size, fix mask on the face so as not to cause chafing and squeezing of the skin.