Development of an Ultraviolet-C Irradiation Room in a Public Portuguese Hospital for Safe Re-Utilization of Personal Protective Respirators
| Autor: | Jorge Padrão, Talita Nicolau, Helena P. Felgueiras, Carla Calçada, Maria Isabel Veiga, Nuno S. Osório, Marcos S. Martins, Nuno Dourado, António Taveira-Gomes, Fernando Ferreira, Andrea Zille |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Universidade do Minho |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
Science & Technology
Ventilators Mechanical Portugal UV-C respirators masks SARS-CoV-2 waste mitigation reutilization Textile Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Masks COVID-19 Respirators Hospitals Reutilization Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia dos Materiais Waste mitigation Humans Respiratory Protective Devices Personal Protective Equipment |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Volume 19; Issue 8; Pages: 4854 |
| ISSN: | 1660-4601 |
| Popis: | Almost two years have passed since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. However, it still holds a tight grasp on the entire human population. Several variants of concern, one after another, have spread throughout the world. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant may become the fastest spreading virus in history. Therefore, it is more than evident that the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) will continue to play a pivotal role during the current pandemic. This work depicts an integrative approach attesting to the effectiveness of ultra-violet-C (UV-C) energy density for the sterilization of personal protective equipment, in particular FFP2 respirators used by the health care staff in intensive care units. It is increasingly clear that this approach should not be limited to health care units. Due to the record-breaking spreading rates of SARS-CoV-2, it is apparent that the use of PPE, in particular masks and respirators, will remain a critical tool to mitigate future pandemics. Therefore, similar UV-C disinfecting rooms should be considered for use within institutions and companies and even incorporated within household devices to avoid PPE shortages and, most importantly, to reduce environmental burdens. This research was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), Operational Program for Competitive ness Factors (COMPETE), and Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTS) [UID/CTM/00264/2021]; [PTDC/CTM TEX/28295/2017]; [PTDC/CTM-TEX/1213/2020]; [UIDB/50026/2020]; [NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-072555]; [NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000039] and con tract funding [2020.03113.CEECIND] to M.I.V. This work is a result of a project with the EXMA company in co-promotion with the University of Minho [NORTE-01-02B7-FEDER-048968] and supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through the FEDER. Finally, this project was funded by the FCT Research4COVID-19 special fund [011_595803006UV-Fast]. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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