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Impact of Wearing on Filtration Performance of Electrostatic Filter Face Masks

Author

Listed:
  • Anthony P. Pierlot

    (CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Manufacturing, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia)

  • David L. J. Alexander

    (CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Data61, 20 Research Way, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC 3168, Australia)

  • Jürg A. Schütz

    (CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Manufacturing, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia)

Abstract

Certified disposable respirators afford important protection from hazardous aerosols but lose performance as they are worn. This study examines the effect of wear time on filtration efficiency. Disposable respirators were worn by CSIRO staff over a period of 4 weeks in early 2020. Participants wore the respirator masks for given times up to eight hours whilst working in laboratory/office environments. At that time COVID-19 precautions required staff to wear surgical (or other) masks and increase use of hand sanitizer from dispenser stations. Results obtained from a test group of ten individuals without health preconditions show an increasing number of masks failing with wear time, while the remainder continue to perform nearly unaffected for up to 8 h. Some masks were found to retain filtration performance better than others, possibly due to the type of challenge they were subjected to by the wearer. However, the rate and extent of decay are expected to differ between environments since there are many contributing factors and properties of the aerosol challenge cannot be controlled in a live trial. Penetration and variability increased during wear; the longer the wear time, the more deleterious to particle removal, particularly after approximately 2 h of wear. This behavior is captured in a descriptive statistical model based on results from a trial with this test group. The effectiveness of the masks in preventing the penetration of KCl particles was determined before and after wearing, with the analysis focusing on the most penetrating particles in a size range of 0.3–0.5 µm diameter where respirator masks are most vulnerable. The basic elements of the study, including the approach to filter testing and sample sanitization, are broadly applicable. Conclusions also have applicability to typical commercially available single-use respirator masks manufactured from melt blown polypropylene as they are reliant on the same physical principles for particle capture and electrostatic enhancement was comparable for the particle size range used for detection.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony P. Pierlot & David L. J. Alexander & Jürg A. Schütz, 2022. "Impact of Wearing on Filtration Performance of Electrostatic Filter Face Masks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5032-:d:798437
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bates, Douglas & Mächler, Martin & Bolker, Ben & Walker, Steve, 2015. "Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 67(i01).
    2. Yi-Chun Lin & Chen-Peng Chen, 2017. "Characterization of small-to-medium head-and-face dimensions for developing respirator fit test panels and evaluating fit of filtering facepiece respirators with different faceseal design," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(11), pages 1-26, November.
    3. Jürg A. Schütz & Anthony P. Pierlot & David L. J. Alexander, 2022. "The Effect of Sanitizing Treatments on Respirator Filtration Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-26, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jeff Wagner & Janet M. Macher & Wenhao Chen & Kazukiyo Kumagai, 2022. "Comparative Mask Protection against Inhaling Wildfire Smoke, Allergenic Bioaerosols, and Infectious Particles," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-15, November.

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