A Method for Screening Non-Certified Respirators: A Scientific Analysis

04/29/2020

Based on several weeks of testing respirators that have not been certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Yale researchers have written a scientific documentation on a system they developed to examine the performance of non-certified respirators and masks (go here to see the study). 

The shortage of regulation masks and respirators has made it necessary to find alternatives to protect frontline healthcare workers, and many of the available alternatives have not been NIOSH-certified, leaving questions as to whether they perform at a level that can protect wearers from SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Also, many counterfeit N95 masks and other masks are currently being produced and sold as authentic products. It has become critical to be able to test these masks from non-traditional suppliers as well as the many masks being donated to hospitals at this time to ensure the safety of healthcare workers. 

To help relieve this shortage of reliable respirators, Yale researchers developed an apparatus to test samples of non-certified respirators. This testing system is a collaboration between the Coalition for Health Innovation in Medical Emergencies (CHIME), the departments of chemical and environmental engineering and mechanical engineering and materials science, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), and the School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS) teaching support staff.

Since the experimental setup’s completion, the research team at the Center for Engineering Innovation & Design has been busy testing numerous non-certified respirators and masks for Yale New Haven Hospital-affiliated healthcare workers. The test results are compared to the performance of NIOSH-certified N95 respirators (called such because they’re designed to filter out at least 95% of fine airborne aerosols). The experimental results for each type of respirator or mask are made available to EHS and Yale’s medical professionals. The apparatus is also capable of measuring the aerosol filtration efficiency and flow impedance for other alternative masks and fabrics.