Systematic review of N95 respirator reprocessing

Editor's Note

This systematic review by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, of five decontamination processes for N95 respirators finds ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, moist heat, and microwave generated steam reprocessing to be effective and simple to implement. A total of 42 studies were reviewed.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, moist heat, and microwave-generated steam processing were effective for pathogen removal and preserving respirator filtration, and they had short treatment times and readily available reprocessing equipment.

Vaporized hydrogen peroxide was a suitable alternative, but with longer decontamination durations and higher costs. Ethylene oxide was less easily implemented and may leave toxic residues.

The researchers concluded that more research is needed on decontamination effectiveness for SARS-CoV-2 because few studies specifically examined this pathogen.