拋棄式防塵口罩滅菌再使用之可行性探討

The Study of Germicidal Methods on Filtering-facepiece Respirators Reuse

于台珊(Tai-Shan Yu) ； 何雨芳(Yu-Fang Ho) ； 黃盛修(Sheng-Hsiu Huang) ； 莊啟佑(Chi-Yu Chuang) ； 陳春萬(Chun-Wan Chen)

《勞工安全衛生研究季刊》 16卷2期 (2008/06) Pp. 197-203

https://doi.org/10.7005/JOSH.200806.0197

摘要

92年SARS疫情高原期，由於拋棄式防塵口罩的供應量不足，有人提出將配戴過的口罩滅菌處理再重複使用的建議，雖然有違「拋棄式」防塵口罩的使用理念，但在疫情緊急且資源有限之際，或許此作法可作為緊急應變的手段。本研究藉由實測各種有效滅菌條件對濾材過濾效率之影響以及探討其他可能影響口罩總體防護效能之因素，探討拋棄式防塵口罩滅菌後再使用之可能性。
研究中將市售六款N95等級口罩（兩款FFP2、四款N95等級）負載適量的大腸桿菌後，分別測試乾熱（烘箱）、濕熱（蒸鍋）、高溫高壓滅菌鍋、紫外光及75%酒精等五種滅菌方式的有效滅菌條件後，再觀察口罩經過各別有效的滅菌條件處理後是否造成過濾效率的降低。五種滅菌方法所設定的有效滅菌的條件分別為：乾熱法以70℃的烘箱作用30分鐘；濕熱法以蒸鍋(96℃)作用15分鐘；高溫高壓滅菌方法以溫度121℃、壓力1kg/平方公分的條件作用15分鐘；紫外線法以波長254 nm、強度303µW/平方公分的條件作用30秒；75%的酒精溶液以噴灑的方式完全接觸口罩。
六款口罩經上述五種條件滅菌後，75%酒精會使四款口罩過濾效率降至95%以下；濕熱處理及高溫高壓滅菌會造成一款口罩效率降至95%以下，且高溫高壓滅菌會使五款口罩嚴重變形；而乾熱與紫外線兩滅菌方法對六款口罩的過濾效率影響較小，都仍維持在95%以上。本研究所選用的五種滅菌方式在一定的條件下均能完全殺死口罩上的大腸桿菌測試菌株，但綜合考量其他可能影響口罩總體防護效率之因素後，除非於疫情亟為緊急且已無其他呼吸防護替代方案之前提下，否則不建議重複使用N95口罩。

關鍵字

拋棄式防塵口罩 ； 滅菌 ； 重複使用 ； 過濾效率

並列摘要

In the prevalence of SARS, due to being short of Filtering-Facepiece Respirators, someone had suggested to reuse masks which are disinfected. Though the suggestion goes against the concept of disposability, while in the emergency of epidemic situation and limited resource, the suggestion may be accepted as an emergency measure. This study evaluate the possibility of masks reused by effective disinfection methods without destroying the capture efficiency. And the conclusion can be a reference for short of epidemic prevention materials.
Six kinds of respirators loaded Escherichia coli are disinfected by dry heat, wet heat, autoclave, UV light and 75% alcohol to confirm the effective disinfection condition. And the influence of capture efficiency is observed after respirators are disinfected by five different effective conditions.
The five effective disinfection conditions are as below: 70℃ oven by 30 minutes; electric pot (96℃) by 15 minutes; 121℃, 1 kg/cm^2 by 15 miniutes; 254 nm, 303 µW/cm^2 UV light by 30 seconds; and 75% alcohol spraying entirely on the respirator. As to the capture efficiency, four kinds of respirators are under 95% after being disinfected by 75% alcohol, and one kind of respirators is under 95% after being disinfected by wet hot and autoclave, and autoclave also makes five kinds of respirators to change shape. Dry hot and UV light disinfection methods hardly affect the capture efficiency of respirators.
Though the five disinfection methods can kill Escherichia coli on the respirators, it is not suggested to reuse Filtering-Facepiece Respirators in peacetime. Only if respirators have to be reused inevitably, it is suggested to reuse respirators disinfected by dry hot and UV light.

並列關鍵字

Filtering-Facepiece Respirators ； Disinfection ； Reuse ； Capture efficiency

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