Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic
Background: Owing to shortage of surgical and N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) during the COVID-2019 pandemic, various masks were developed to prevent infection. This study aimed to examine the inward leakage rate (ILR) of sealed face masks and modified surgical masks using a quantitative...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Komiyama Printing Co. Ltd
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ehpm/29/0/29_23-00303/_html/-char/en |
| _version_ | 1797291995841953792 |
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| author | Kazunari Onishi Masanori Nojima |
| author_facet | Kazunari Onishi Masanori Nojima |
| author_sort | Kazunari Onishi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Owing to shortage of surgical and N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) during the COVID-2019 pandemic, various masks were developed to prevent infection. This study aimed to examine the inward leakage rate (ILR) of sealed face masks and modified surgical masks using a quantitative fit test and compared it with the ILR of unmodified N95 FFRs. Methods: We conducted paired comparisons of ILRs of bent nose-fit wire masks, double masks, and N95 FFRs from October to December 2021. To measure the protective effectiveness of masks, participants wore masks, and the number of particles outside and inside the mask were measured. The ILR was based on the percentage of particles entering the mask using a fit tester. Results: We enrolled 54 participants (20 men and 34 women) in this study. The median ILR for surgical masks without and with a W-shaped bend in the nose-fit wire were 96.44% and 50.82%, respectively. The nose-fit wire adjustment reduced the ILR of surgical masks by a mean of 28.57%, which was significantly lower than the ILR without adjustment (P < 0.001). For double masks, with surgical or polyurethane masks on top of the W-shaped mask, the ILR did not differ significantly from that of N95. Although the filtration performance of double surgical masks matched that of N95 masks, their ILR was notably higher, indicating that double masks do not provide equivalent protection. Conclusions: Wearing N95 masks alone is effective in many cases. However, surgical mask modifications do not guarantee consistent effectiveness. Properly selected, sealed masks with a good fit overcome leakage, emphasizing their crucial role. Without evidence, mask-wearing may lead to unexpected infections. Education based on quantitative data is crucial for preventing adverse outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T19:45:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d2a38bb0dfc546c7a31da495769002ef |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1342-078X 1347-4715 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T19:45:50Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Komiyama Printing Co. Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-d2a38bb0dfc546c7a31da495769002ef2024-02-29T02:13:31ZengKomiyama Printing Co. LtdEnvironmental Health and Preventive Medicine1342-078X1347-47152024-02-01298810.1265/ehpm.23-00303ehpmComparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemicKazunari Onishi0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5791-4418Masanori Nojima1Division of Environmental Health, Graduate School of Public Health, St. Luke’s International UniversityCenter for Translational Research, The Institute of Medical Science Hospital, The University of TokyoBackground: Owing to shortage of surgical and N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) during the COVID-2019 pandemic, various masks were developed to prevent infection. This study aimed to examine the inward leakage rate (ILR) of sealed face masks and modified surgical masks using a quantitative fit test and compared it with the ILR of unmodified N95 FFRs. Methods: We conducted paired comparisons of ILRs of bent nose-fit wire masks, double masks, and N95 FFRs from October to December 2021. To measure the protective effectiveness of masks, participants wore masks, and the number of particles outside and inside the mask were measured. The ILR was based on the percentage of particles entering the mask using a fit tester. Results: We enrolled 54 participants (20 men and 34 women) in this study. The median ILR for surgical masks without and with a W-shaped bend in the nose-fit wire were 96.44% and 50.82%, respectively. The nose-fit wire adjustment reduced the ILR of surgical masks by a mean of 28.57%, which was significantly lower than the ILR without adjustment (P < 0.001). For double masks, with surgical or polyurethane masks on top of the W-shaped mask, the ILR did not differ significantly from that of N95. Although the filtration performance of double surgical masks matched that of N95 masks, their ILR was notably higher, indicating that double masks do not provide equivalent protection. Conclusions: Wearing N95 masks alone is effective in many cases. However, surgical mask modifications do not guarantee consistent effectiveness. Properly selected, sealed masks with a good fit overcome leakage, emphasizing their crucial role. Without evidence, mask-wearing may lead to unexpected infections. Education based on quantitative data is crucial for preventing adverse outcomes.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ehpm/29/0/29_23-00303/_html/-char/eninfection preventionmaskpersonal protective equipmentfit testrespiratorsinward leakage rate |
| spellingShingle | Kazunari Onishi Masanori Nojima Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine infection prevention mask personal protective equipment fit test respirators inward leakage rate |
| title | Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Comparison of the inward leakage rate between N95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | comparison of the inward leakage rate between n95 filtering facepiece respirators and modified surgical masks during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | infection prevention mask personal protective equipment fit test respirators inward leakage rate |
| url | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ehpm/29/0/29_23-00303/_html/-char/en |
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