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Filtration Performances of Non-medical Materials as Candidates for Homemade Face Mask Filters
WEIXING HAO, Andrew Parasch, Stephen Williams, Jiayu Li, Hongyan Ma, Joel Burken, Yang Wang, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract Number: 28
Working Group: The Role of Aerosol Science in the Understanding of the Spread and Control of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases
Abstract
The recent outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is causing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in different countries of the world. Because the coronavirus can transmit through droplets and aerosols, face masks, especially N95 respirators that require complex certification, are urgently needed. Given the situation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that “in settings where face masks are not available, healthcare personnel might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for the care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort.” Although aerosols and droplets can be removed through the fibers of these fabrics through a series of filtration mechanisms, their filtration performances have not been evaluated in detail. Moreover, there are a series of non-medical materials available on the market, such as household air filters, coffee filters, and different types of fabrics, which may be useful when medical mask filters are not available. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the overall and size-dependent filtration performances of non-medical materials. The experiments were conducted under different face velocities to consider the influence of the filtering area used by the wearer. The flow resistance across these filter materials is collected as an indicator of the breathability of the materials. Based on the results, multiple layers of household air filters are able to achieve similar filtration efficiencies compared to the N95 material without causing a significant increase in flow resistance. Considering that these air filters may shed micrometer fibers during the cutting and folding processes, it is recommended that these filters should be inserted in multiple layers of fabrics when manufacturing homemade face masks.