Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Xinyu Mao, A. E. Hosoi
Summary: The study establishes a quantitative model for predicting the performance of woven heterogeneous cloth masks, introduces a filtration quality factor, and provides a decision map to help people choose suitable cloth masks. It also points out that key factors for high-quality cloth masks include material porosity, fiber diameter, and structural uniformity.
PHYSICAL REVIEW FLUIDS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas W. Bement, David J. Downey, Ania Mitros, Rebecca Lau, Timothy A. Sipkens, Jocelyn Songer, Heidi Alexander, Devon Ostrom, Hamed Nikookar, Steven N. Rogak
Summary: This study examines fabrics that can enhance the performance of cotton masks, particularly in terms of filtration and breathability. Nonwoven polyester and nonwoven polypropylene materials demonstrate better filtration efficiency, with meltblown nonwoven polypropylene being particularly effective against submicron particles. However, post-washing, the quality of meltblown nonwoven polypropylene degrades significantly. The study also explores the impact of washing and drying on the filtration and pressure drop of various fabric combinations.
AEROSOL AND AIR QUALITY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adrian Stan, Sandro Steiner, Shoaib Majeed, Sandra Schorderet Weber, Samik Gosh, Tanja Zivkovic Semren, Philippe Alexandre Guy, Stefan Lebrun, Jerome Steinhauser, Yanik Tardy, Andreas Hogg, Sophie Chiquet, Jean-Luc Perret, Arkadiusz Kuczaj, Manuel Peitsch, Julia Hoeng
Summary: The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the global demand for respiratory face masks, leading governments to recommend reusable masks to slow down virus transmission. Research has shown that a hydrophobic coating can significantly enhance the filtration efficiency of fabrics.
AEROSOL AND AIR QUALITY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Textiles
Charles Freeman, Reuben Burch, Catherine Black, Lesley Strawderman, Jaime Rickert, John Wilson, David Saucier, Brian Smith
Summary: This study evaluated the filtration efficiency and quality of seven different fabrics commonly used in non-medical masks, finding that using non-medical fabric masks alone is not very effective, and should be combined with physical distancing to further slow the spread of COVID-19.
TEXTILE RESEARCH JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Elisabeth L. Zeilinger, Nadine Brunevskaya, Jana Wurzer, Sandra Oberleiter, Jonathan Fries, Amelie Fuchs, Alma Herscovici, Lea Kum, Eva K. Masel, Jakob Pietschnig
Summary: Cloth masks have poorer filtering performance compared to medical/surgical and N95 masks, but the effect reverses when cloth masks are compared to ill-fitting medical/surgical and N95 masks.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ruoyu Zhang, Xiaohui Lu, Lin Wang, Jianmin Chen, Da-Ren Chen, Xiaofei Wang
Summary: Reducing aerosol transmission is effective in preventing the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19, but many people prefer not to wear masks due to discomfort. In this study, it is found that over 95% of respiratory aerosols are electrically charged. Based on this finding, a low-cost respiratory aerosol capturer is designed to remove these charged aerosols efficiently, which outperforms existing air purifiers and costs less than 10% of them. This tool offers a great solution for combating respiratory diseases and has the potential to save many lives, especially for low-income individuals.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Chuang Zhang, Qiangqiang Zhao, Jie Xia, Jinxin He, Ying Chen, Xia Dong, Ji'an Wei
Summary: In this study, cotton fabrics grafted with polymers containing quaternary amine antibiotic groups were found to significantly improve filtration efficiency and exhibit excellent antibacterial properties. The pore size of the grafted fabrics decreased, increasing the filtration efficiency to 81.5% +/- 7.8% from 17.5% +/- 2% for the original fabrics. The treated fabrics showed comparable filtration efficiency to medical masks and remained effective after multiple washes. This research could inspire the development of reusable and sustainable facemasks for effective personal protection against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Alberto Tunon-Molina, Kazuo Takayama, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Juan Andres, Angel Serrano-Aroca
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have played a crucial role in personal protection. However, traditional face masks made of materials lacking inactivation properties may still lead to infection transmission. Researchers have been working on developing face masks with antimicrobial, self-cleaning, reusable, and biodegradable properties to provide extra protection in a sustainable way.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Christopher D. Zangmeister, James G. Radney, Matthew E. Staymates, Edward P. Vicenzi, Jamie L. Weaver
Summary: Under high humidity conditions, the filtration efficiency of hydrophilic fabrics increases when challenged with hygroscopic nanoparticles, with the increase dependent on particle size.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ziyi Han, Lina Wang, Yueyan Liu, Tatleung Chan, Zhandong Shi, Mingzhou Yu
Summary: This study investigated the role of each layer in a three-layer surgical mask in terms of particle size-dependent filtration and respiratory resistance. Experimental work and numerical simulation were conducted, and it was found that the filtration efficiency of the spun-bond polypropylene nonwoven fabric layer was lower than that of the melt-blown nonwoven polypropylene fabric layer for particles in the range of 0.1-2.0μm. Both layers demonstrated low filtration efficiency for particles smaller than 0.3μm. These findings can contribute to the rational design of mask products.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Weidong He, Yang Yue, Yinghe Guo, Yi-Bo Zhao, Jingxian Liu, Jing Wang
Summary: Inert particles are commonly used as substitutes for biological particles in filtration tests. The physical properties of inert particles and biological particles may affect the filtration efficiencies of filter media. The study evaluated the filtration efficiencies of surgical masks and N95-rated respirators using inert particles (NaCl and PSL) and biological particles (E.coli, B.subtilis, BSA, and endotoxin). The results showed minimal difference in filtration efficiencies for inert particles and biological particles, except for surgical masks where the interception lengths affected the filtration efficiency.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Axel Fouqueau, Jeremie Pourchez, Lara Leclerc, Aurelien Peyron, Yoann Montigaud, Paul Verhoeven, Tatiana Mace, Alexandre Bescond, Dominique Thomas, Augustin Charvet, Mathieu Ghijselings, Pauline Hars, Franck Polyn, Francois Gaie-Levrel
Summary: This study compares the bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) and particle filtration efficiency (PFE) testing methods for surgical masks, aiming to understand and establish an overview of both approaches. The filtration efficiency of six commercial surgical masks was measured and compared, using experimental methods for 3 μm particle testing developed for face coverings. The results explain the differences and propose recommendations for improving the associated EN14683:2019+AC standard.
AEROSOL AND AIR QUALITY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marta Baselga-Lahoz, Cristina Yus, Manuel Arruebo, Victor Sebastian, Silvia Irusta, Santiago Jimenez
Summary: The disposal of single-use personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant environmental impact. In response, researchers have focused on using recycled materials and developing new manufacturing methods to reduce the environmental impact of disposable face masks.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Paul Siller, Janina Reissner, Sabrina Hansen, Michael Kuehl, Alexander Bartel, David Schmelzeisen, Thomas Gries, Uwe Roesler, Anika Friese
Summary: In this study, nanofleece textiles with a particle filtering effect and self-disinfecting treated textiles were examined for potential use in face masks. Nanofleece textiles showed filtration efficiencies over 95% against FCoV when used as a double layer, almost on par with FFP-2 mask material. Some self-disinfecting textiles demonstrated significant activity against SARS-CoV-2, achieving about three LOG(10) (99.9%) of virus titer reduction after twelve hours of incubation.
Review
Polymer Science
Ebuka A. Ogbuoji, Amr M. Zaky, Isabel C. Escobar
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for masks as a method to reduce virus transmission, even with the availability of vaccines. Research on mask efficiency and material properties has increased, but there are challenges in testing protocols and evaluating methods.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Caroline P. Groth, Sudipto Banerjee, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Patricia A. Stewart, Dale P. Sandler, Aaron Blair, Lawrence S. Engel, Richard K. Kwok, Mark R. Stenzel
Summary: This paper presents a strategy for converting the VOC database into hourly average air concentrations by vessel and processing the data using Bayesian methods to better understand workplace exposures. The approach can be applied by occupational health professionals with large datasets of direct-reading instruments.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tran B. Huynh, Caroline P. Groth, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Sudipto Banerjee, Mark Stenzel, Aaron Blair, Dale P. Sandler, Lawrence S. Engel, Richard K. Kwok, Patricia A. Stewart
Summary: After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, quantitative estimates of oil-related chemical exposures were developed for workers involved in clean-up operations. The exposure estimates were generally lower than occupational exposure limits, but showed variations based on activities, time periods, and states.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mark R. Stenzel, Caroline P. Groth, Sudipto Banerjee, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Richard K. Kwok, Lawrence S. Engel, Dale P. Sandler, Patricia A. Stewart
Summary: The GuLF Long-term Follow-up Study is investigating the health effects of workers involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and cleanup. The study found that most of the personal air measurements taken on the workers were below the limit of detection, which limited the ability to develop accurate exposure estimates. To address this issue, Bayesian and order-based statistical methods were used to estimate exposures and develop descriptive statistics. These methods significantly reduced censoring in the dataset and improved the accuracy of the exposure estimates.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mark R. Stenzel, Susan F. Arnold, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Richard K. Kwok, Lawrence S. Engel, Dale P. Sandler, Patricia A. Stewart
Summary: The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling unit on April 20, 2010 led to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which was subsequently cleaned up using chemical dispersants. The study investigated the exposure of workers to these dispersants, with results indicating that exposure to 2-BE may have exceeded limits for peak exposures in certain conditions.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Caroline P. Groth, Tran B. Huynh, Sudipto Banerjee, Patricia A. Stewart, Lawrence S. Engel, Richard K. Kwok, Dale P. Sandler, Mark Stenzel
Summary: This study presented a method using real-time volatile organic compounds (VOCs) area measurements transformed to daily total hydrocarbons (THC) time-weighted averages (TWAs) to supplement THC personal full-shift measurements. The method was applied to workers on vessels piloting remotely operated vehicle (ROV) vessels and other marine vessels (MVs) to develop exposure statistics.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Caroline P. Groth, Tran B. Huynh, Sudipto Banerjee, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Patricia A. Stewart, Harrison Quick, Dale P. Sandler, Aaron Blair, Lawrence S. Engel, Richard K. Kwok, Mark R. Stenzel
Summary: The study aims to determine correlations between THC and BTEX-H and use these correlations to predict BTEX-H from THC. Bayesian analyses were used to estimate exposures using these correlations as informative priors. Results showed that correlations between THC and BTEX-H differed by area and time period and generally exceeded 0.5. By imputing missing data using regression relationships, robust exposure estimates were developed.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melissa G. Edmondson, Christopher D. Heaney, Meghan F. Davis, Gurumurthy Ramachandran
Summary: Industrial hog operation workers may be exposed to Staphylococcus aureus and carry the bacteria in their nares. A mathematical model was developed to predict the nasal carriage state of these workers over time, taking into account their use of masks. The model showed that workers can transition between different nasal carriage states, and their mask usage can impact the proportion of different strains carried.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. Sahmel, S. Arnold, G. Ramachandran
Summary: The study quantitatively evaluated the transfer of lead between different compartments, finding that some pathways were more important than others, and that transfer increased non-linearly with repeated contact but appeared to stabilize within 10 contacts. The data are likely to be useful for refining models of repeated contacts for dermal exposure and risk assessment.
JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH-PART A-CURRENT ISSUES
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Yuan Shao, Jooyeon Hwang, Richard F. MacLehose, Bruce H. Alexander, Jeffrey H. Mandel, Peter C. Raynor, Gurumurthy Ramachandran
Summary: This study aims to reconstruct the historical respirable silica and respirable dust exposures of workers in the Minnesota taconite industry. The study developed a job-exposure matrix using occupational hygiene measurements and found that higher dust exposures were observed in the Crushing, Concentrating, Pelletizing, and Shop (mobile) departments. The silica percentage varied by mine/department. The result of this study provides valuable information for epidemiological studies.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Toxicology
Darpan Das, Sarah-Marie Alam El Din, Jairus Pulczinski, Jana N. Mihalic, Rui Chen, Joseph Bressler, Ana M. Rule, Gurumurthy Ramachandran
Summary: This study characterized the variability in mass concentration and particle size distribution associated with the aerosol generation of different e-cigarette devices and e-liquid compositions. The findings showed a large inter-day variability in the experiments, pointing to the need for better understanding of factors affecting exposures and standardized protocols for e-cigarette aerosol generation and measurement.
INHALATION TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
J. Sahmel, G. Ramachandran
Summary: Skin hydration and barrier properties have an impact on the retention of substances on the skin. However, the measurement of skin hydration is not common in exposure assessments. This study provides comparative measurements of skin hydration at different locations. The measurements at the forearm and index finger tip were found to be significantly different, suggesting the need for separate measurement and recording. Both locations are important for determining skin hydration and health.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Susan Arnold, Patricia A. Stewart, Gregory C. Pratt, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Richard K. Kwok, Lawrence S. Engel, Dale P. Sandler, Mark R. Stenzel
Summary: This paper describes the potential dispersant-related air concentrations generated from aerial spraying of dispersants to provide insight into the potential exposure of workers involved in the oil spill response and clean-up. The results suggest that personal exposures to dispersant aerosols were negligible.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Patricia Stewart, Caroline P. Groth, Tran B. Huynh, Melanie Gorman Ng, Gregory C. Pratt, Susan F. Arnold, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Sudipto Banerjee, John W. Cherrie, Kate Christenbury, Richard K. Kwok, Aaron Blair, Lawrence S. Engel, Dale P. Sandler, Mark R. Stenzel
Summary: The GuLF Study investigates the health effects of work on the response and clean-up after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil release. The study assessed inhalation and dermal exposures to various chemicals, and found that some workers may have experienced high levels of air concentration.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Darpan Das, Kelsey R. Babik, Emma Moynihan, Gurumurthy Ramachandran
Summary: A series of experiments were conducted to measure the removal rates of SARS-CoV-2 viral aerosols and the air changes per hour in passenger railcars. The study evaluated the effects of ventilation and air filtration systems on particle removal rates and the estimated probability of infection in different conditions. Higher-efficiency MERV-13 filters significantly increased particle removal rates and reduced the estimated probability of infection. Upgrading HVAC filters from MERV-8 to MERV-13 is the most effective exposure control method.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer Sahmel, Susan F. F. Arnold, Gurumurthy Ramachandran
Summary: This study evaluated the accuracy of dermal exposure judgments made by occupational health practitioners. The results showed that practitioners had limited experience and confidence in performing dermal exposure assessments, and tended to overestimate the potential for dermal exposure. Additional training and education, as well as improvements in dermal models, are necessary to enhance the accuracy of dermal exposure assessments.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE
(2023)
