Evaluation of at-home methods for N95 filtering facepiece respirator decontamination

Chen, T. X.; Pinharanda, A.; Yasuma-Mitobe, K.; Lee, E.; Steinemann, N. A.; Hahn, J.; Wu, L.; Fanourakis, S.; Peterka, D. S.; Hillman, E. M. C.

Shortages in N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are significant as FFRs are essential for the protection of healthcare professionals and other high-risk groups against Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19), a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. In response to these shortages during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) permitting FFR decontamination and reuse. However, although industrial decontamination services are available at some large institutions, FFR decontamination is not widely available. Effective FFR decontamination must 1) deactivate the virus; 2) preserve FFR integrity, specifically fit and filtering capability; and 3) be non-toxic and safe. Here we identify and compare at-home methods for heat-based FFR decontamination that meet these requirements, but utilize common household appliances. Our results identify viable protocols for simple and accessible FFR decontamination, while also highlighting methods that may jeopardize FFR integrity and should be avoided.