Masks for Everyone Who Ventures Outside Each Day

The Coronavirus may Become Endemic like HIV

Berry Installing New Meltblown Line in Berlin

Nursing Homes are Starting to Incorporate HEPA Filters and Antimicrobial Coatings

UV Light for Jails and Nursing Homes

Washington State Dental Office will Open with New Air Filters.

Northwestern Professor looking at Chemically Treated Masks to Destroy Viruses

Ben Gurion University Researching the Potential for Electrically Charged Graphene

Graphene also being pursued by Hong Kong Polytechnic

Carbon Nanotubes are Another Option

Masks with Copper Technology Offered by Multiple Companies

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Masks for Everyone Who Ventures Outside Each Day

The expert opinion on the value of masks to fight COVID is nearly the opposite of what it was earlier in the year. Studies show that nations which require people to wear masks do much better than those who do not. The deaths per capita in the U.S. are 70 times greater than China. Because of air pollution China has a long history of mask wearing. Japan never shut down but has a low death rate. The reason is that the wearing of masks is universal.

The latest discoveries are that a significant fraction of the virus travels in small aerosols similar in size and mobility to cigarette smoke.

 

A surgical mask may stop the larger droplets caused by sneezing and coughing but not ones being exhaled. These small smoke sized particles will penetrate a surgical mask. It would therefore be highly desirable for everyone to wear an N95 mask or one with equivalent or even higher efficiency.

To achieve this we need to expand mask and filter media production. We also need to improve ways to decontaminate and reuse masks. H2O2 decontamination methods could potentially allow a mask to be reused 10 to 20 times.  Simple mask washing is the answer for masks made with nanofibers and  membranes. They  presently account for a small share of the market. Most face masks use meltblown media. McIlvaine predicts that the new media technologies will eventually dominate the market. This will allow individuals to wash their own masks and not rely on a decontamination vendor.

At present meltblown media is used in most surgical and N95 masks. Meltblown media is also used in air filters where the demand is rising rapidly due to COVID. Together these uses account for a large portion of the total.

Face masks presently account for just over one fourth of the meltblown market.  Filtration is a large application and incudes liquid filtration, gas filtration, cartridge filters, and air filtration for HVAC and cleanrooms where high efficiency is required. COVID will increase the need for meltblowns for air filters in nursing homes, apartment buildings, restaurants, meat processing plants and many other establishments where people congregate. So facemask and filtration demands will compete for the limited supply. Cummins/Dupont are using filter media normally used in engine filters for facemasks. The filtration segment also includes oil adsorbents.

The “other” segment includes medical fabrics such as disposable gowns, drapes and sterilization wraps.  Reusable gowns are an option which would reduce meltblown demand. Meltblown fabrics are used frequently in feminine sanitary napkins, diaper top sheets and disposable adult incontinence products.

Also included in the “other” segment are disposable industrial apparel, thermal insulation and substrates for synthetic leather. Meltblown fabrics are sometimes used in battery separators and as insulation in capacitors.

If half of the world’s 8 billion people should be wearing N95 masks and these masks are reused  five times then 800 million masks need to be produced each day.

N95 masks utilize more meltblown media than do surgical masks.

 

World meltblown capacity was 1000 tons per day in January of this year and has increased as much as 10 percent over the last six months.

   *Includes non meltblown media

Mask production has grown by triple digits in the last six months but is not nearly enough to supply each individual around the world who congregates with others each day.

The production of melt blown media to fulfill the needs of each person using N95 masks and replacing them after five uses would be 4000 tons per day.  This is four times the meltblown production at the start of 2020 and more than 15 times the present meltblown capacity devoted to masks.  However the total is small compared to the 41,000 tons per day of non wovens produced for all applications. So with less than 10 percent increase in total non wovens production the media for N95 masks for everyone who ventures outside each day could be achieved.

Masks are one of the elements needed for a safe return to the new normal.

The Coronavirus may Become Endemic like HIV

During a media briefing in Geneva, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, warned Wednesday that the disease may join the mix of viruses that kill people around the world every year.

"This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. HIV hasn't gone away," Ryan said. "I'm not comparing the two diseases but I think it is important that we're realistic. I don't think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear.

"We may have a shot at eliminating this virus but that vaccine will have to be available, it will have to be highly effective, it will have to be made available to everyone and we'll have to use it," Ryan said. "This disease may settle into a long-term problem or it may not."

WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove struck a more optimistic tone during Wednesday's briefing."The trajectory of this outbreak is in our hands," Van Kerkhove said. "The global community has come together to work in solidarity. We have seen countries bring this virus under control. We have seen countries use public health measures."

Berry Installing New Meltblown Line in Berlin

Berry Global Group, Inc. announced the continued expansion of its global Meltex™ meltblown capacity, with the addition of another asset to support the growing global face mask demand.

This announcement comes as demand surges due to COVID-19 and the increased need for nonwoven protection materials. The new asset is expected to be operational in October 2020 and will be placed in Europe at Berry’s existing production facility in Berlin, Germany and will incorporate Berry’s patented charging technology post installation. The new line will focus on the production of highly efficient filter material for premium FFP2 (N95) and FFP3 (N99) grade filter media.

“We are now beginning to see the localization of varying forms of equipment that produce materials for PPE, as countries and governments look to be able to react with speed to any future outbreaks,” said Cedric Ballay EVP & GM for Europe in Health, Hygiene, and Specialties at Berry. “We continue to provide timely solutions to those looking for assistance fighting the spread of COVID-19.”

As the largest manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics, Berry makes materials for the world’s leading and emerging brands. These products range in use from materials for face masks, respirators and protective healthcare apparel to packaging, many of which have been deemed essential in the efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Nursing Homes are Starting to Incorporate HEPA Filters and Antimicrobial Coatings

 

Nursing homes have been vulnerable to COVID for  multiple reasons. They include shortages of safety gear and staff workers who may inadvertently be carriers and the design of the buildings.

With shared resident rooms off long corridors and dining rooms where everyone mingles, nursing homes may have been laid out to be efficient and cost effective.
 

Since the country’s first sizable outbreak in a nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., the coronavirus has made its way into 7,500 long-term care facilities, killing dozens at some. Across the country, more than 143,000 of their residents and workers have contracted the illness and more than 25,600 have died, according to a New York Times analysis. That is more than a third of the deaths from the pandemic.

 

Many of the 15,400 nursing homes across the country are laid out like hospitals, and some house hundreds of residents. Most rooms are double occupancy, but some have three or even four residents.

 

Before the pandemic, a movement under the banner of “culture change” was challenging this institutional model, calling for dividing up large nursing home populations into small, self-sufficient units with kitchens, private rooms and a dedicated staff.

Households with private rooms take up about 10 percent more space than conventional interiors with shared rooms and cost $15,600 more per bed, said Perkins Eastman, an architecture firm with an active health care facility practice.

The cost of building a skilled nursing facility in the last 10 years ranged from $223 to $361 per square foot, according to data based on an index of 100 cities compiled by the National Investment Center for seniors and Housing Care, one of the main data service providers for the elder care industry. 

So far, an estimated 10 to 15 percent of nursing homes in the United States are set up this way. This smaller-is-better approach arose out of a concern for residents’ privacy and dignity, but evidence is emerging that it may also be helping with infection control.

A private room or even an entire household can be closed off more easily, keeping out or confining viruses. Staff members who are focused on a small number of residents may be more likely to pick up on warning signs, such as a lack of appetite, that someone is sick. The preparation of food and laundry in a household — rather than in central facilities and then distributed — also eliminates a few of the ways diseases can infiltrate.

The Department of Veterans Affairs began embracing a small-house model in 2011; now, 13 of its 134 nursing homes are organized around communities of 10 to 14 residents. In these settings, only a single veteran has tested positive for Covid-19, Christina Noel, a V.A. spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Private rooms have made a “huge” difference in the ability to control the virus at Jewish Senior Services, a four-story building for skilled nursing and assisted living in Bridgeport, Conn., said Andrew H. Banoff, president and chief executive of the organization. There are 330 residents divided into households of 14 residents each.

“When somebody is diagnosed, their door is closed,” Mr. Banoff said. Signs are posted and safety gear is placed outside the door so that staff know to suit up before entering. 

Still, the coronavirus has cropped up in eight of the 23 households, 15 residents have died, and four staff members have been hospitalized, he said.

Administrators of nursing homes large and small, as well as the architects who renovate and design their facilities, expect to zero in on disease control in the future as a result of the pandemic. Air circulation and filtration will be scrutinized when heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are planned, they said. 

“I’ll be paying more attention to the HVAC piece of it,” said John Shoesmith, a Seattle a architect who specializes in senior living design.

The Facility Guidelines Institute, which writes planning and design standards that are adopted in most states and by federal agencies, set up a task force this month to make recommendations for how health care facilities can cope during emergencies. Douglas S. Erickson, the institute’s chief executive, said the task force would produce a white paper for public review by the end of the summer and publish new standards in January 2022.

But some providers are not waiting. Evermore Senior Living is wrapping up construction on the first of 12 small houses for assisted living and memory care in Woodbridge, VA. Dave Risi, the owner operator, said the first building, which will contain three households of eight residents each, will open in July. Because of the coronavirus, he is now ramping up air filtration.

Mr. Risi already had high-efficiency particulate air filters, commonly called HEPA filters, which can trap bacteria and other particles. Because of the coronavirus, he is now adding ultraviolet light filters that can kill airborne viruses.

 

Nursing home providers and their architects are also talking about easy-to-clean, nonporous surfaces; antimicrobial materials, like copper, for “high touch” features such as hand railings; and voice- or sensor-activated controls for doors, lighting, curtains, faucets and toilets.

 

Even as they battle the coronavirus, some nursing home administrators are reassessing renovation plans that were in the works when the virus hit.

 

Andrus on Hudson, a nonprofit senior care community in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., had hired Amenta Emma Architects to help with a renovation. Now James Rosenman, the chief executive, is talking to the designers about the possibility of installing modular walls so that resident rooms can quickly be reconfigured in a crisis.

 

“It’s always been, ‘Do we need to move the person?’’ Mr. Rosenman said, referring to how ill residents have been moved to isolation areas during the pandemic. “Maybe we can change the rooms instead.”

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/business/nursing-homes-coronavirus.html

 

UV Light for Jails and Nursing Homes

The Grant County Wisconsin Sheriff’s Department recently purchased an ultraviolet light emitter that staff members use to sterilize the county jail’s booking area and holding cells.

The device recently was lent to the county’s nursing home, Orchard Manor, which has experienced at least 27 COVID-19 infections among staff and residents.

The UV light disinfects and cleans almost every bug and virus out there,” said Matt Thill, the facility’s maintenance manager “We’ve gone down through one of the wings and disinfected every room and bathroom, day room, storage and utility rooms.”

The device, manufactured by Grand Rapids, Mich., company Skytron, emits ultraviolet radiation that damages the DNA or RNA in pathogens present on nearby surfaces, thereby reducing the chances of infection.

To prevent injury to users, rooms must be unoccupied when the device is turned on.

Onboard sensors on the UV emitter scan rooms and determine the intensity of light and duration of operation needed to sterilize the area.

The device, which cost about $41,000, is small enough to be loaded onto emergency medical services vehicles.

Currently at Orchard Manor, 17 residents with COVID-19 are isolated in a negative-pressure wing. The wing contains special air filters that are designed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease.

Orchard Manor staff also purchased a handheld UV light to sterilize computer keyboards and desks along with an ozone generator that can disinfect rooms

Washington State Dental Office will Open with New Air Filters.

For weeks, the Cannon Hill Dental office has had a quiet, empty waiting room. The only people who came in were people with dental emergencies.

But starting May 18, all Washington dental offices can re-open. Dr. Amir Ganji, who runs Cannon Hill Dental, says opening will be a relief after dealing with the frustration of being closed.

While some dental work is not considered essential, Dr. Ganji says the lack of consistent check-ups has caused problems for some of his patients. He stressed that the closure has brought to light how essential dental care can be.

That's why Dr Ganji is relieved to open on May 19, the day after Governor Inslee is allowing all dental offices to re-open. But opening a dental office could be more complicated than opening other businesses.

"We are in a field where we generate aerosol from the mouth, and it goes into the environment," Dr. Ganji said. That's exactly how the coronavirus spreads.

In order to keep his patients and his team safe, Dr. Gangi bought air filters, is doing fewer procedures that create aerosol, and has changed his scheduling procedure. His office will be seeing less patients than normal.

Northwestern Professor looking at Chemically Treated Masks to Destroy Viruses

Jiaxing Huang, a professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University, has  received a $200,000 grant from NSF to develop a chemical add-on for traditional masks that can destroy COVID-19. Huang is looking at an inexpensive way to incorporate chemicals traditionally found in sanitation products, which are known to deactivate a broad range of viruses. He’s looking into sprays, as well as chemically treated fabrics, patches, and inserts for disposable or DIY masks—all of which would ramp up the effectiveness of existing masks. “What we need to worry about is how to fix these agents so they don’t [release] easily when people inhale and get into their lungs,” he says. “But then we need to have them go away during exhalation. That’s the science challenge.”

Ben Gurion University Researching the Potential for Electrically Charged Graphene

Chris Arnusch, a water research professor at Ben Gurion University (BGU), in Israel, spent five years developing porous graphene membranes with antimicrobial and antiviral properties for use in water purification. Now, he’s trying to validate the technology for air, with an eye toward adapting it for masks or air filters. Pure graphene is an atom-thick layer of graphite, a component used in pencil lead, that’s incredibly strong and conducts electricity. Arnusch creates a foam-like form of graphene for his filters by training a laser on plastic surfaces. Armed with seed funding from BGU and the Israeli government, he’s now teaming up with a startup to commercialize this and other products.

In the case of my water filters, the pores are larger than the bacteria and viruses,” says Arnusch. “But if you electrify the surface in water, it kills the bacteria and viruses as they pass through. I’m trying to see if it works in the air. Once proven, we just need to adapt it to a mask or air filter.”

Graphene also being pursued by Hong Kong Polytechnic

Laser-induced graphene also interested Hong Kong Polytechnic University researchers, who are applying the material to disposable surgical masks to make them self-sterilizing and ultra water-repellent, so virus-laden droplets roll off. In an April paper, they noted that sunlight could theoretically sterilize a graphene-coated mask by heating it to 176°F.

Carbon Nanotubes are Another Option

University of Cincinnati researchers are integrating a carbon nanotube heater into a fabric that’s made of carbon nanotubes and polymer fibers. The nanotubes’ small diameters and collective high surface area could effectively separate microbes, while heating the carbon could kill them. Having successfully applied this carbon nanotube heater technique to the water purification industry, the team is trying to use it to filter air, with support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Masks with Copper Technology Offered by Multiple Companies

Masks which use copper technology vary widely in terms of degrees of effectiveness, price, and longevity, with some intended for healthcare use and others purely as an upgrade from fabric masks. Costs for single masks generally run from $10 to $70, with antimicrobial properties lasting from 30 washes to the life of the product. Some companies have tested their products against other viruses, though none have against COVID-19, which requires highly specialized facilities that aren’t readily available. “Virus size, infectivity level, and chemical properties vary and influence how well masks work,” adds Fichtenbaum.

Some high-tech masks come at a high price, in the $50 to $70 range. Israeli fiber technology company Argaman has one featuring four copper-infused layers and copper oxide filters from Czech firm Respilon, which also sells its own masks. Israeli startup Sonovia uses zinc oxide coating and five-micron filtration that is supposed to last a year.

Companies that specialize in copper-infused antimicrobial apparel and mask specialty outlets offered more affordable versions. Copper Compression and the U.K.-based Copper Clothing offer four-layer masks blocking 99% of particulates, while Copper Mask uses six-ply copper and HEPA filters blocking 92%. Another company, Kuhn Copper Solutions—founded by microbiologist Phyllis Kuhn, an early advocate of copper use in hospitals—specializes in copper mesh masks and inserts that can be combined with traditional or cloth versions.

You can also find copper-infused cotton masks at some furniture and apparel outlets—like The Futon Shop,  CustomInk, and Atoms shoes—that hopped on the copper bandwagon by leveraging existing production pipelines.