Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
What is the Leakage around a Typical N95 Mask
Inward Leakage of Air into Face Masks is a Big
Problem
Canada Recommends More Efficient Tight Fitting
Masks
Carrier Filter Inactivates 99% of Viruses
HVAC Companies Expect Big COVID Related Market
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What is the Leakage around a Typical N95 Mask
This 2013 analysis shows that , the
effectiveness of American National Standards
Institute-/Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (ANSI-/OSHA)-accepted fit tests
for particulate respirators in predicting actual
workplace protection provided to workers is
lacking.
NIOSH addressed this issue by evaluating the fit
of half-mask particulate filtering respirators
as a component of a program designed to add
total inward leakage (TIL) requirements for all
respirators to Title 42 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 84. Specifically, NIOSH
undertook a validation study to evaluate the
reproducibility of the TIL test procedure
between two laboratories.
To pass the test, NIOSH has proposed a TIL of
≤1% in any one of the three donning’s of each
FFR tested on each subject. A TIL value of ≤1%
is equivalent to a FF value of ≥100 obtained for
subjects performing the OSHA-prescribed
exercises for passing the fit test.
A PortaCount® was used to measure the TIL of
five N95 model filtering facepiece respirators
(FFRs) on test subjects in two different
laboratories. Concurrently, filter efficiency
for four of the five N95 FFR models was measured
using laboratory aerosol as well as polydisperse
NaCl aerosol employed for NIOSH particulate
respirator certification.
https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article/58/2/206/199248
Inward Leakage of Air into Face Masks is a Big
Problem
Surgical mask material is fairly good for
trapping viruses, but surgical masks as normally
worn by themselves are not very effective at
protecting you because they are not sealed. The
main reason surgical masks fail to protect
people is air leakage around the mask, whereby
viruses can just
easily go around the mask and into your nose and
mouth. The amount of air going around a mask is
known as "total inward leakage (TIL)" in
scientific research.
For example, a study of manikins wearing face
masks showed that typical total inward leakage
often exceeded 25%. The graphs below are for
different testing conditions. Normal resting
human breathing is around 5-8 liters per minute,
and light activity is typically around 12 liters
per minute, so the top left graph is probably
applicable to most people.
That is a very big difference - surgical mask
material allowed just 3% to 7% of 100nm
particles being breathed, but as normally worn
without any external face seal, the air going
around the mask resulted in a total inward
leakage of around 25% to 35% of 100nm particles
inhaled for normal breathing. There are lower
percentages for heavier breathing, such as
engaging in activity which causes you to breathe
harder, probably because stronger breathing
sucks the mask to make a better seal, but it's
still a very bad seal.
If you have a mask using certified N95 or N99
rated material, but it does not seal your face
completely, and allows 25% total inward leakage,
then that's like having an N75 or N70 mask.
Basically, no matter how highly the materials
are rated, certified, or perform, they won't
protect you well if the mask is not sealed
around your face to eliminate inward leakage of
air.
The
Cross Strap Spongy Face Mask Sealer works best
with surgical masks and soft N95 masks. Another
option is - a surgical mask inside of an N95,
and thirdly with the Cross Strap Spongy face
mask sealer on top of both. After the face mask
sealer is attached, take the ear loops of the
other masks out from around the ears, because
they are no longer necessary, and the straps
around the back of the head are much more
comfortable.
To protect yourself and others from pathogens
you should be realistic and not rationalize what
you may desire. The data above is real.
Some doctors seal their surgical masks by
putting tape around the mask to seal it to their
face. That seems like it would be uncomfortable
to wear and maybe painful to remove. An external
mask may be more comfortable.
The Cross Strap Spongy face mask sealer is
something you wear on top of a surgical face
mask, or on top of an N95 face mask, to create a
much better seal, to try to change results from
the right side to the left side. You can take
your cheap surgical mask and make it work much
better by putting this mask on top. It has these
features:
1.
A soft foam material around the nose, which
pushes the face mask against the face. This
prevents air leakage around the nose. It is also
MUCH more comfortable than the metal strip. This
seals the TOP of the face mask.
2.
A second elastic band to go under the jaw and
around the cheeks, to seal the BOTTOM and TWO
SIDES of the mask.
3.
Altogether, two elastic bands, one for the top,
and one for the bottom and sides, approximately
90 degrees to each other. These elastic bands go
around the back of the head, not around the
ears, for a tighter seal and better comfort.
These elastic bands can be adjusted to fit the
person's head size.
It is important to understand that the Cross
Strap Spongy Face Mask Sealer is not intended to
be used alone and is instead intended to be used
with another face mask, usually a surgical mask.
You first put on a surgical mask. In the photos
above, you can see the surgical mask underneath,
put on with loops around the ear. Our mask goes
on top of that and has no loops around the ears.
(The metal nose strip which comes with surgical
masks may be uncomfortable, so you can just put
it on upside down, with the metal strip under
the chin instead, if you use our external face
mask sealer. Also, after our mask has secured
the surgical mask, you can optionally remove the
surgical mask's loops around the ears if they're
uncomfortable.)
We have the option of shipping the Cross Strap
Spongy Mask together with a surgical mask or an
N95 or N99 or other quality material if there is
sufficient stock of surgical masks or N95 or N99
material available, but because stocks are in
short supply during an epidemic, the Cross Strap
Spongy Face Mask is usually shipped alone, and
can instead be used with masks which people
already have, such as a surgical mask or an N95
or N99 mask for which you want better sealing
and comfort. If you want to put two surgical
masks under the Cross Strap Spongy Face Mask
Sealer, for double protection, that's okay, too.
http://www.face-mask-sealer.com/face-mask-total-inward-leakage-of-air.html
Canada Recommends More Efficient Tight Fitting
Masks
The Public Health Agency of Canada has updated
its recommendations
on non-medical face masks with
the country’s top doctor now suggesting
Canadians wear coverings that are made of three
layers including a filter.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday,
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa
Tam said adding what is called a filter layer to
masks will provide Canadians with extra
protection against COVID-19.
"This is an additional recommendation, just to
add another layer of protection," Tam said.
As more research is conducted on the novel
coronavirus, Tam said guidelines on how to best
limit the spread of the virus has also evolved.
Tam said that masks with a filter will help trap
small infectious particles and further protect
against COVID-19. She said the degree of
protection varies based on the construction,
materials, and particularly the fit of
non-medical masks.
"I keep emphasizing the fit is one of the most
important things," she said. "It fits around
your mouth, on your nose, and it has to cover
your mouth and nose. So that's really
important."
Tam stressed that Canadians currently using
two-layered masks do not need to throw them in
the trash but should instead purchase a
disposable filter to insert between the layers.
"We're not saying just throw out everything that
you have. Nobody's really [done a] study on
non-medical masks in the past so there's been
actually more research into different
materials," Tam said.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada,
a non-medical mask should be made of at least
three layers, two of which should be tightly
woven material fabric, such as cotton or linen.
The third, middle layer should be a filter-type
fabric, such as non-woven polypropylene fabric.
Reusable masks with a non-woven filter layer
already built in should be washed daily and can
be washed multiple times. Those with disposable
filters should be changed daily or as directed
by the manufacturer, according to the updated
guidelines.
When buying new face masks in the future, Tam
said Canadians should look for those made with
these three layers.
"Adding another layer of protection, I think, is
particularly important right now as we're all
moving inside," Tam said.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Brian Conway
told CTV News Channel that the updated
recommendations will help deter Canadians from
purchasing fashion-focused face masks that offer
little protection.
"There are many fashion masks that are being
made that don't cover the nose and don't cover
the mouth, that don't have a way of being fitted
closely to the face," Conway explained in an
interview on Tuesday.
"This is more a reaction against that than
against the very good two-layer mask we still
have."
Conway agreed with Tam that the extra layer of
protection is critical as the weather turns
colder and more Canadians spend their time
indoors.
While there is limited studies on the
effectiveness three-layered masks compared to
those with two layers, Conway said face
coverings with a filter will provide better
protection against possible transmission through
smaller, aerosol droplets.
"It's really a call to action for all of us. If
you buy a mask, if a three-layer mask is
available, I think that's probably preferable.
But again, good two layer masks have served us
so well over the past several months," he said.
Despite the difference in layers, Conway said
that Canadians do not have to disregard the
masks they have been using until now. He
stressed a two-layer mask is still effective if
it fits as closely as possible against the face.
"Please wear them properly, please change them
frequently and make sure that you have a mask on
your person at all times," Conway said.
The new recommendation on face masks comes on
the heels of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
warning that the window to control the second
wave of the pandemic is "closing fast" as
Canada’s cases continue to surge.
Trudeau again pleaded with Canadians on Tuesday
to limit their contacts to what is "absolutely
essential," download the COVID-19 Alert app,
wear a face mask and practice good hand hygiene
to help control the rise in infections.
"We have to work together -- right now -- to
beat the second wave. It won’t be easy, but I
know we can do it," Trudeau said.
Carrier Filter Inactivates 99% of Viruses
Testing by the University of Colorado Department
of Civil, Environmental and Architectural
Engineering found that the Carrier Infinity air
purifier with Captures & Kills technology
inactivates 99% of coronavirus trapped on the
filter. Other third-party testing has concluded
that this technology also inactivates 99% of
select viruses and bacteria trapped on the
filter, such as a common cold virus surrogate,
Streptococcus pyogenes and human influenza.
Carrier is a part of Carrier
Global Corporation a leading global
provider of healthy, safe and sustainable
building and cold chain solutions.
The Infinity air purifier, a product part of
the Healthy Homes suite
of Carrier’s
Healthy Buildings Program’s indoor air
quality solutions, works silently as part of a
home heating and cooling system, using a filter
and electrical charges to inactivate various
pathogens, pollen, animal dander and other
contaminants to enhance indoor air quality.
“As people continue to spend more time at home,
it’s important to have technology to help make
indoor environments healthier and safer,” said
Justin Keppy, President, NA Residential & Light
Commercial, Carrier. “By removing these
pathogens, including coronavirus, from the air
it filters, the Infinity air purifier gives
families peace of mind that their loved ones
have a cleaner and healthier home in which to
live, learn, work and play.”
The Infinity air purifier works with most HVAC
systems produced by both Carrier and other
manufacturers and treats the air flowing through
an HVAC system’s air handler using a three-step,
charge/capture/kill process that inactivates 99%
of select viruses and bacteria:
·
Step One: Charge – the
purifier creates a “cloud” of electrically
charged ions that attach themselves to airborne
dust, pollen, viruses, germs and other particles
as they pass through.
·
Step Two: Capture – the
ionized particles are pulled toward an
oppositely charged, pleated filter and captured
at an extremely high rate.
·
Step Three: Kill
– captured airborne microbes remain on the
pleated filter instead of recirculating back
into the home and are subjected to an intense
electric field.
The University of Colorado’s testing was
conducted with a murine coronavirus that is
closely related to the human coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. The murine
pathogen surrogate allowed testing to be
completed safely. More information on the
science behind the Infinity air purifier and the
testing is available on carrier.com/purifier.
HVAC Companies Expect Big COVID Related Market Increased interest in
filtration, disinfection and other tools
for improving the quality of indoor air will
likely create a new revenue opportunity of
multiple billions of dollars across the
industry, Johnson Controls International Plc CEO
George Oliver said on a call Tuesday to discuss
the building-products company’s most recent
quarterly results with Brooke Sutherland of
Bloomberg. Johnson Controls alone is
looking at potential projects in this vein worth
“a couple of hundred million” for just next
year, he said. That echoes commentary from
rivals including Carrier Global Corp.,
which estimates the ultimate market for indoor
air-quality improvements will reach about $10
billion, including $150 million of potential
business opportunities the company has already
identified for itself. Honeywell International
Inc. cited a more than $600 million sales
pipeline for its “healthy buildings” offerings. It’s in these companies’
interest to tout this opportunity. Heating,
ventilation and air conditioner (HVAC) systems
have been a rare bright spot in an industrial
sector that’s struggled to inspire investors
with third-quarter results that
signaled a sure but slow recovery. Consumers
have been snapping up new air conditioners amid
a lockdown-inspired home-improvement wave, but
even commercial landlords are investing at a
greater rate than expected as they try to lure
people back to offices, restaurants and retail
space.
There were fears that air conditioners were to
blame for spikes in coronavirus cases as hot
summer weather pushed people indoors. The
reality is that these systems can be an
effective tool in fighting off contagions — with
some upgrades. These range from adding higher
levels of filtration and allowing for more
outside air flow to installing ultraviolet light
disinfectant systems and digital-monitoring
technology that lets building managers know if
everything is working as it should. All of these
cost money.
Carrier CEO Dave Gitlin pointed out that people
spend a whopping 90% of their lives indoors on
average, meaning that if you are 50 years old,
you’ve spent 45 years sitting inside. That is
both depressing and instructive. We may be more
aware of our time inside after having
endured lockdowns, but even in a pandemic-free
future we’re still going to be breathing in an
awful lot of indoor air. And it seems likely
that after everything the world has been
through, the average person is at least going to
think twice about the quality of that air.
This theme fits hand in hand with a broader
pivot toward sustainability in both the HVAC
industry in particular and the manufacturing
economy more broadly. A building that’s helping
the environment by releasing fewer greenhouse
gases doesn’t have the same appeal if the air
within its four walls can be a (real or
perceived) conduit for disease. What we’ve
learned is that our previous standards of air
purification didn’t hold up to the test of the
pandemic and those need to evolve accordingly,
Oliver of Johnson Controls said. After all, the
coronavirus is unlikely to be the last novel
pathogen the world encounters.
Trane Technologies Plc estimates there are 1.7
trillion square feet of building space around
the world and that some 400 billion of that is
non-residential, communal real estate. If all of
that ultimately needs to be upgraded, well, you
get the picture. |