Experimental Measurement of the Size of Gaps Required to Compromise Fit of an N95 Respirator.
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Publication Date
2022-01-21Journal Title
Disaster Med Public Health Prep
ISSN
1935-7893
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Pages
1-13
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Physical Medium
Print-Electronic
Metadata
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O'Kelly, E., Arora, A., Pirog, S., Ward, J., & Clarkson, P. J. (2022). Experimental Measurement of the Size of Gaps Required to Compromise Fit of an N95 Respirator.. Disaster Med Public Health Prep, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.23
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The effectiveness of filtering facepiece respirators such as N95 respirators is heavily dependent on the fit. However, there have been limited efforts to discover the size of the gaps in the seal required to compromise filtering facepiece respirator performance, with prior studies estimating this size based on in vitro models. In this study, we measure the size of leak necessary to compromise the fit of N95 respirators. METHODS: Two methods were used to create a gap of specific dimensions. A set of 3D-printed resin spacers and hollow steel rods were used to generate gaps in N95 respirators while worn on two participants. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) quantitative fit testing methods were used to quantify mask performance with gaps between 0.4 and 2.9mm diameters. RESULTS: Gap size was regressed against fit factor, showing that overall the minimum gap size to compromise N95 performance was between 1.5mm2 and 3mm2. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the fit of a N95 respirator is compromised by gaps that may be difficult to visually detect. The study also adds to the body of evidence supporting the routine use of quantitative fit testing to ensure that masks are well-fitting.
Keywords
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, face coverings, quantitative testing, respirators
Relationships
Is supplemented by: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.70466
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.23
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/334170
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Licence URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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