Source avec lien : Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 19(4). 10.1080/15459624.2022.2041649
En 2020, les CDC ont recommandé l’utilisation de demi-masques respiratoires en élastomère certifiés par le NIOSH, équipés de cartouches filtrantes N95 ou P100 pour la protection contre l’agent viral du SRAS-CoV-2, comme alternative viable aux masques respiratoires filtrants N95. De plus, les recommandations des CDC indiquaient que, compte tenu de la pratique actuelle, il était acceptable d’utiliser ces cartouches filtrantes de façon répétée pendant une période pouvant aller jusqu’à 12 mois, à titre de stratégie de capacité d’urgence en cas de pénurie prévue de respirateurs. Pour valider cette recommandation, une enquête a été entreprise pour quantifier avec précision leur efficacité de filtration et leur résistance respiratoire afin de déterminer si elles continuaient à répondre aux exigences de performance du NIOSH.
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-certified Elastomeric Half Mask Respirators equipped with N95 or P100 respirator filter cartridges for protection against the SARS-CoV-2 viral agent, as a viable alternative to N95 filtering facepiece respirators. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations stated that based on current practice, it was acceptable to repeatedly use these filter cartridges for up to 12 months as a contingency capacity strategy during anticipated respirator shortages. To validate this recommendation, an investigation was undertaken in which Elastomeric Half Mask Respirators equipped with P100 respirator filter cartridges were deployed and used by healthcare professionals in clinical settings (i.e., inpatient nursing units, operating rooms) for extended periods. These filter cartridges were subsequently tested to accurately quantify their filtration efficiency and breathing resistance to determine if they continued to meet National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s performance requirements. Findings from this investigation confirmed that an Elastomeric Half Mask Respirator when equipped with a P100 filter cartridge continues to provide a high level of aerosol filtration performance (≥99.97%) and exhibits little change in breathing resistance even after 12 months of repeated use (i.e., wear, cleaning, and disinfection between patient use and at the end of work shift) in healthcare settings.