BRIDG Offers Cleanroom Space for Suppliers of COVID PPE and Supplies

Twelfth Sinopec Meltblown Line Commissioned

Irema Sold Out On Masks Until October

Hair Salons in California Reopen with Air Purifiers and Masks

Electrocorp Supplies Air Filters for Police Evidence Rooms and Crime Scenes

WHO Tries to Clear Up Views on Ways Infection is Transmitted

Anti-Microbial Coating Could be Effective for Ninety Days

______________________________________________________________________________

BRIDG Offers Cleanroom Space for Suppliers of COVID PPE and Supplies

BRIDG is offering cleanroom space and seeking partnerships to help alleviate shortages in ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and other life-saving medical supplies and strengthen the U.S. response to COVID-19.

The BRIDG fab features 26,500 sq. ft. of Class 100 (ISO Class 5) cleanroom space with a full sub-fab, and 9,400 sq. ft. Class 10K (ISO Class 7) cleanroom space. There is space available in each cleanroom and the sub-fab to support life-saving medical supply production.

The manufacturing ecosystem plays a significant role in addressing this national emergency. In response, BRIDG has made portions of its cleanrooms available for partners that have the equipment required for production of these products.

BRIDG remains committed to its vision of repatriating semiconductor technologies for national security and diversifying Florida’s economy through the creation of high skill and high wage jobs in the fields of microelectronics. 

 

 

Twelfth Sinopec Meltblown Line Commissioned

Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China's largest oil refiner Sinopec, put into operation the twelfth of its twelve meltblown non-woven fabric production lines Saturday to meet the brisk demand of face mask producers.

Sinopec has now completed the construction of all sixteen of its production lines of such fabric. After those production lines become fully operational and combine with Sinopec's joint venture enterprises, which can produce 7 metric tons of meltblown non-woven fabric per day, the company's daily production capacity is expected to reach 37 metric tons and its annual production capacity will exceed 13,500 metric tons, which can be used in making 13.5 billion medical masks.

As the essential material to make masks, the non-woven fabric is the core raw material that serves as the filtering layer in the middle part of masks to absorb dust, bacteria and pollen.

Sinopec is the upstream producer of the polypropylene raw materials in the industrial mask chain. Faced with a market shortage of masks, the company invested 300 million yuan (about 42 million U.S. dollars) to build the production facilities in its subsidiaries Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Co., Ltd. in Beijing and Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fiber in eastern Jiangsu Province.

Nine articles about them appeared in previous Alerts.  You can search and retrieve them as follows

Search results for: Sinopec

9 results found.

Sorted by relevance / Sort by date

1. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... Supply WHO Analyzes Mask Shortage Shortage of Masks Sparks Controversies Among Countries Chinese Mask Supply Sinopec Moving from Resin to Mask Supplier Chinese Car Companies become Mask Suppliers Chinese Supply vs ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 74  -  29 Apr 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-03-31/20200331.html

2. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... Keeping Score on Medical and N95 Mask Production Shortage of Meltblown Fabric for Face Masks Sinopec can Make 5 million N95 Masks per day ____ The U.S. Forcing 3M ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 69  -  29 Apr 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-06/20200406.html

3. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... grams of meltblown each. Our original 5 to 1 ratio was based on the Sinopec either or situation where 50% more tons can be converted when making medical mask ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 32  -  18 May 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-05-18/Alert_202005018.html

4. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... , Mississippi, Started Production of Face Mask Media Shaoyang Textile Machinery Co Starts Up Sinopec Melt Blown Line on March 29 Reifenhauser Teams with Vietnamese Producer to Make Masks Meltblown ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 28  -  29 Apr 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-27/Alert_20200427.html

5. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... the first batch of melt blown non-woven fabrics of Yanshan Petrochemical, a subsidiary of Sinopec, was officially sold. On this day, it was only 15 days before ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 20  -  29 Apr 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-10/20200410.html

6. Coronavirus Alerts Table of Contents

... , Mississippi, Started Production of Face Mask Media Shaoyang Textile Machinery Co Starts Up Sinopec Melt Blown Line on March 29 Reifenhauser Teams with Vietnamese Producer to Make Masks Meltblown ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 16  -  9 Jun 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/TofC.html

7. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... ) and Mida (000782) have also enjoyed the ride. In addition, Sinopec (NYSE: SNP; 0386.HK; 600028.SH), one of China's leading petroleum ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 6  -  29 Apr 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-04-15/Alert_20200415.html

8. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... Masks per day Meltblown world capacity as of Jan 2020 1000 1 billion 200 million Sinopec (either or) 18 18 million 3.6 million 3M 2019 15 3 million 3M ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 6  -  15 May 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-05-14/Alert_202005014.html

9. McIlvaine Coronavirus Market Ale

... production by 34 tons per day in the next 7 months. Compare this to Sinopec who built 10 lines for 18 tpd production in just 4 months. This would ...

Terms matched: 1  -  Score: 6  -  30 May 2020  -  URL: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/coronavirus/subscriber/Alerts/2020-05-29/Alert_202005029.html

 

Irema Sold Out On Masks Until October

Due to the unprecedented scale of the Covid-19 outbreak and its commitment to provide constant supply to  existing customers and the Irish Health Service Executive, Irema Ireland is no longer accepting orders for Surgical and Respirator Face Masks for delivery prior to October 2020.

The Air Filtration and HVAC Filter Media business continues to operate as normal.

Irema is a manufacturer of meltblown polypropylene filter media for air conditioning and ventilation industries. The meltblown technology allows it to produce a diverse range of filter media with fine and coarse microfibers, making it the definitive choice for producing air filters for medium and fine filtration. The texture of the meltblown fibre makes it is an exemplary media for processing by sewing, ultrasonic welding and pleating. 

With nearly 30 years in the face mask manufacturing industry, Irema strives  to develop the most innovative products that evolve and continue to meet customer’s individual needs.

The face mask production area has grown seven fold to offer a diverse portfolio that includes: Tie-on, Ear Loop, XtraComfort for Sensitive Skin, Anti-Splash, Anti-fog, Extra Large, Anti-splash with Visor and FFP2 and FFP3 Flat Fold Respirator.

Irema has hiked its workforce by 50pc and pivoted production to making a million masks weekly for the HSE's supply chain, mostly single-use surgical masks.

But managing director John Rice said the firm, based in Kilmallock south of Limerick city, is rapidly ramping up production of reusable respirator-grade masks. These block the inhalation of viruses, whereas surgical masks do not.

Irema was delivering about 150,000 respirator masks weekly to the HSE and hopes to reach 250,000 next week after equipment for a second production line arrives from the firm's Thai subsidiary.

In normal times, Irema - a contract manufacturer for US conglomerate 3M and other medical device suppliers - produces no masks directly for the HSE, only select hospitals.

But once it looked likely that Covid-19 would arrive in Ireland, Irema agreed with HSE supply chiefs to move to round-the-clock production of masks for front-line healthcare workers.

"It's a big step up to move to a 24/7 operation and double your output," Mr. Rice said.

"We've gone from zero masks directly to the HSE to a million a week. We'll be producing at maximum capacity until September at least," he said.

Irema's website advises firms and the public not to call seeking to buy masks directly. The phone keeps ringing regardless.

"We are turning away anything between 40 and 60 enquiries a day for products. We've been doing this for the last month," he said. "We're fully committed to the HSE and can't take other orders. We can't do any more.

 

Hair Salons in California Reopen with Air Purifiers and Masks

From lockdown to reopening, with women entrepreneurs at the helm, Ukiah hair salons are cautiously rebounding, opening doors to clients who have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see their stylists again and return to a regular routine of personal care.

Moving into Phase 3 of a four-part plan, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on May 26 the easing of restrictions for barbershops and hair salons for counties that had met specific health criteria—less than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days or less than 8 percent testing positive in the last week—that require enhanced cleaning protocols and facial coverings.

On May 24, the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, working in collaboration with Newsom, applauded him for developing safety guidelines and developed additional prevention practices for their licensed practitioners. These include physical distancing to the maximum extent possible, use of face coverings by workers and customers/clients, frequent handwashing and regular cleaning and disinfection, and training workers on these and other elements of the COVID-19 prevention plan.

Shirley Matilton of Feathers Hair Artistry opened softly last week, catering to senior citizens and those with compromised health. Shirley Matilton is a, cosmetologist and certified international instructor. She  changes her disposable mask after each client and wears a face shield for additional protection.

“Health and safety are the most important considerations,” she says, “but I can’t book like I used to; it’s physically challenging, exhausting, to work under the limitations of the face mask and shield.”

She greets her clients outside her shop, takes their temperature with a no-touch, has them fill out a health questionnaire—posted on her Facebook page—and hands them a disposable mask.

Her recently purchased air purifiers are running and she spends 20-30 minutes cleaning everything between clients, with medical grade disinfectant, including work stations, door knobs, chairs. She steps outside for 45 seconds and lets the ultraviolet light system disinfect.

It’s one-on-one in her shop—Matilton and the customer.

“Supplies have been difficult to come by; no-touch thermometers are not available for sale in the county. I’ve had to order them from out-of-state. I also have full body paper jumpers that I will be wearing next week.”

 

Electrocorp Supplies Air Filters for Police Evidence Rooms and Crime Scenes

Electrocorp's full line of Industrial Air Scrubbers, Air Cleaners, and Air Purifiers are manufactured for industrial, manufacturing, and commercial use. Air Scrubbers with Micro-HEPA can filter microorganisms down to 0.1 micron. Air Cleaners with 20 watt UV can kill bacteria and viruses like the Coronavirus COVID-19.

Electrocorp Air Scrubbers range from 735CFM, to 1000 CFM, and 2000 CFM units, all units can have Germicidal 20 watt UV lights added.

When a sheriff’s office in a county in North Carolina experienced air quality problems, they did not merely accept it as unavoidable - they found a solution in the RSU 48 CC.

IAQ concerns in law enforcement are much more profound than those found in other workspaces: Not only are law-enforcement officers exposed to the “normal” IAQ contaminants from building materials, communication centers and ventilation systems, but also to contaminants linked specifically to police work -- including overstocked property rooms, evidence in form of narcotics, bio-hazards, flammable liquids, weapons, fire aftermath, etc. -- which all add up to a substantial list of possible indoor air quality concerns and correlated health effects.

Electrocorp has equipped countless police stations and property rooms across North America with powerful activated carbon and HEPA air cleaners to provide relief from these airborne contaminants and to ensure better workplace health and safety conditions.

The sheriff's office in North Carolina had to store drugs such as marijuana plants in the evidence room, and there were noticeable odors in the closed-off space.

Conventional air purifiers that rely on HEPA filtration would not have been effective in this case. HEPA removes only fine particles and dust from the ambient air.

For fumes, odors, chemicals and gases, the best filtration media is virgin activated carbon. Made from natural materials such as wood and coconut husks and treated with oxygen, activated carbon is extremely porous and provides a large internal surface area for the adsorption of gaseous pollutants.

The sheriff’s department purchased Electrocorp’s RSU 48 CC unit, a tall air scrubber with a multi-stage filtration system that includes a HEPA for particles as well as a 120 lb. activated carbon filter for the removal of odors, chemicals, gases and fumes.

They placed it in the evidence room, where it could run continuously on a low setting, drawing contaminated air through its filters and releasing scrubbed air into the room.

The evidence room technicians soon noticed a difference in air quality.

“With the odors of drugs, especially marijuana,” says T.K. of the North Carolina sheriff's office in question, “this system removes the odors and smell of different types of evidence for all personnel handling the evidence in and around the vault. [It] has been one of the best investments for the evidence technicians in the evidence vault. ”

When police officers are investigating a case or following up a call, they simply never know what they will encounter. Poor indoor air quality awaits in many homes, workplaces, warehouses, etc., and police officers may suddenly be exposed to airborne chemicals, fumes, drugs, and more. If the crime involved arson and a fire, the volatile gases that were released during the fire may linger and affect the officers’ health. Once a crime scene is established, a portable air cleaner can help remove harmful contaminants (chemicals, fumes, particles, biological contaminants) without hindering the investigation.

 

WHO Tries to Clear Up Views on Ways Infection is Transmitted

The World Health Organization tried on Tuesday to clear up confusing comments about how often people can spread the coronavirus when they do not have symptoms.

The organization held a live Q&A on its social media pages to address questions about comments made by a WHO official that suggested asymptomatic people only rarely spread Covid-19.

The comments appeared to directly contradict guidance from public health organizations, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have said about a third of coronavirus infections may be asymptomatic. The CDC also estimates that 40% of coronavirus transmission is occurring before people feel sick, meaning they are presymptomatic.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for coronavirus response and head of its emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, said during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday that "it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual."

But then on Tuesday, during the live Q&A, she clarified "this is a major unknown."

"The majority of transmission that we know about is that people who have symptoms transmit the virus to other people through infectious droplets -- but there are a subset of people who don't develop symptoms, and to truly understand how many people don't have symptoms, we don't actually have that answered yet," Van Kerkhove said.

"We do know that some people who are asymptomatic, or some people who don't have symptoms, can transmit the virus on," she said. "So what we need to better understand is how many of the people in the population don't have symptoms and separately how many of those individuals go on to transmit to others."

On Monday, Van Kerkhove had said that what appear to be asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 often turn out to be cases of mild disease.

When we actually go back and we say how many of them were truly asymptomatic, we find out that many have really mild disease," Van Kerkhove said on Monday.

"They're not quote-unquote Covid symptoms -- meaning they may not have developed fever yet, they may not have had a significant cough, or they may not have shortness of breath -- but some may have mild disease," Van Kerkhove said. "Having said that, we do know that there can be people who are truly asymptomatic."

Van Kerkhove added that she was referring to reports from WHO member states when she made her comments on Monday.

What I was referring to yesterday in the press conference were very few studies -- some two or three studies that had been published that actually try to follow asymptomatic cases, so people who are infected, over time, and then look at all of their contacts and see how many additional people were infected," Van Kerkhove said.

"And that's a very small subset of studies. So I was responding to a question at the press conference. I wasn't stating a policy of WHO or anything like that," she said. "Because this is a major unknown, because there are so many unknowns around this, some modeling groups have tried to estimate what is the proportion of asymptomatic people that may transmit."

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, also said during the live Q&A that there is still much to learn about the possible asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus.

"Whatever proportion of disease is transmitting from asymptomatic individuals, as Maria said, that is unknown," Ryan said.

"I'm absolutely convinced that that is occurring. The question is how much," he said. "There's much to be answered on this. There's much that is unknown."

Whether someone is presymptomatic or simply experiencing very mild symptoms is not of importance to the person on the receiving end of the transmission, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University professor and longtime adviser to the CDC.

"I thought they were getting very prissy and trying to slice the salami very fine," Schaffner said about WHO's comments on Monday on asymptomatic spread.

"You can be vertical and feel 100% or virtually 100% and going about your daily business and unaware that you're infected and perfectly capable transmitting the virus," Schaffner said. "How do we inhibit transmission of the virus by these people who are doing their full range of normal activities? The answer is social distancing and wearing masks and good hand hygiene and stay away from crowds. That's the formula."

Liam Smeeth, professor of clinical epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that he was "quite surprised" by Van Kerkhove's original comments.

"It goes against my impressions from the science so far that suggest asymptomatic (people who never get symptoms) and pre-symptomatic people are an important source of infection to others," Smeeth said In a written statement distributed by the UK-based Science Media Centre on Tuesday.

"This is the main basis for steps such as self-isolation and lockdown -- steps we know, from yesterday's two Nature papers have massively reduced the numbers of people infected and have prevented millions of deaths globally," he said. He was referring to research that estimates shutdown measures through early April prevented more than 500 million coronavirus infections across six countries.

"There remains scientific uncertainty, but asymptomatic infection could be around 30% to 50% of cases," Smeeth said. "The best scientific studies to date suggest that up to half of cases became infected from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people."

Anti-Microbial Coating Could be Effective for Ninety Days

A specially formulated antimicrobial coating can keep surfaces clear of a human coronavirus for up to 90 days with just one application, a preliminary study said recently suggesting a new line of defense against COVID-19.

The paper by researchers at the University of Arizona (UA), which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that the amount of virus on coated surfaces reduced by 90 percent in 10 minutes and by 99.9 percent in two hours.

Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at UA who was the study's senior author, said the technology was "the next advancement in infection control."

"I think it's mostly important for high-use surfaces like subways and buses, because you could disinfect them but then the next people that come in there will recontaminate the surfaces," he said. 

"It's not a substitute for regular cleaning and disinfecting, but it covers you in between regular disinfecting and cleaning."

The UA team tested a coating specifically designed to act against viruses that was developed by the company Allied BioScience, which also funded their study.

The researchers carried out their testing on human coronavirus 229E, which is similar in structure and genetics to SARS-CoV-2 but causes only mild cold symptoms and was therefore safer to use.

The coating works by "denaturing" the virus' proteins -- effectively twisting them out of shape -- and attacking its protective layer of fat.

The colorless substance is sprayed on surfaces and has to be reapplied every three to four months.

The technology behind so-called self-disinfecting coatings has been around for almost a decade and has previously been used in hospitals to fight against the spread of infection, including against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

A 2019 paper by UA researchers found that coatings reduced hospital-acquired infections by 36 percent.

Gerba said that as a university professor, he and colleagues had been discussing ways to make their environment safer for students when they return from lockdowns, and antimicrobial coatings on door handles and table tops would be useful.

"There's a lot of them being developed right now, but hopefully when we start opening everything, they'll be ready."