key: cord-0968856-xb13ansc
authors: Ozog, David; Parks-Miller, Angela; Kohli, Indermeet; Lyons, Alexis B.; Narla, Shanthi; Torres, Angeli E.; Levesque, Martin; Lim, Henry W.; Hamzavi, Iltefat H.
title: The Importance of Fit-Testing in Decontamination of N95 Respirators: A Cautionary Note
date: 2020-05-08
journal: J Am Acad Dermatol
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.05.008
sha: 8b2655fb25284ca6f2f88a8229075284d7c64582
doc_id: 968856
cord_uid: xb13ansc

nan

To the Editor: 43 The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in a critical shortage of personal 44 protective equipment (PPE), particularly N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). 45 Decontamination methods and re-use of FFRs including ultraviolet germicidal irradiation 46 (UVGI), hydrogen peroxide vaporization, microwave generated steaming, and dry heating have been rushed to implementation. However, if the treatment affects filtration or fit, 48 decontamination is achieved but loss of integrity could be catastrophic to the wearer. Our recent 49 JAAD publication discusses research with a repurposed dermatology phototherapy desktop 50 device to administer UVGI for N95 decontamination. 1 This letter highlights critical differences 51 in fit-testing performance collected for different respirator models treated with UVGI 52 administered with this repurposed unit. Using the suggested UVGI dose of 1-2 J/cm 2 , 2 the effects 53 on respirators were variable.

The respirator fit-testing was conducted by the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) 55 Table 1 . 

Ultraviolet germicidal 91 irradiation: possible method for respirator disinfection to facilitate reuse during

Research to Mitigate a Shortage of Respiratory Protection Devices 95

96 shortage-respiratory-protection-devices-during-public-health-emergencies

Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) on N95 Respirator Filtration Performance and 102

Ultraviolet-C and other 104 methods of decontamination of filtering facepiece N-95 respirators during the COVID-19 105 pandemic