• David M Ozog, Jonathan Z Sexton, Shanthi Narla, Carla D Pretto-Kernahan, Carmen Mirabelli, Henry W Lim, Iltefat H Hamzavi, Robert J Tibbetts, and Qing-Sheng Mi.
• Photomedicine and Photobiology Unit, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. Electronic address: DOZOG1@hfhs.org.
• Int. J. Infect. Dis. 2020 Nov 1; 100: 224-229.

ObjectivesThere are currently no studies that have examined whether one dosage can be uniformly applied to different respirator types to effectively decontaminate SARS-CoV-2 on N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Health care workers have been using this disinfection method during the pandemic. Our objective was to determine the effect of UVC on SARS-CoV-2 inoculated N95 respirators and whether this was respirator material/model type dependent.MethodsFour different locations (facepiece and strap) on five different N95 FFR models (3M 1860, 8210, 8511, 9211; Moldex 1511) were inoculated with a 10 μL drop of SARS-CoV-2 viral stock (8 × 107 TCID50/mL). The outside-facing and wearer-facing surfaces of the respirators were each irradiated with a dose of 1.5 J/cm2 UVC (254 nm). Viable SARS-CoV-2 was quantified by a median tissue culture infectious dose assay (TCID50).ResultsUVC delivered using a dose of 1.5 J/cm2, to each side, was an effective method of decontamination for the facepieces of 3M 1860 and Moldex 1511, and for the straps of 3M 8210 and the Moldex 1511.ConclusionThis dose is an appropriate decontamination method to facilitate the reuse of respirators for healthcare personnel when applied to specific models/materials. Also, some straps may require additional disinfection to maximize the safety of frontline workers. Implementation of widespread UVC decontamination methods requires careful consideration of model, material type, design, and fit-testing following irradiation.Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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