Coronavirus Technology Solutions
October 23, 2020

Researchers Tackle the Surface Transmission of COVID-19 in New Partnership

Some Decontamination Processes Damage N95 Face Masks

Bluetree to Produce 100 tons of Meltblowns Monthly in the UK

Lydall Expects $11 Million in Meltblown Revenue in Second Half

Debate on Price Capping of Masks in Mantralaya

Return of Air Pollution to India will Exacerbate  COVID Problem

Moderate Heat and Humidity to Inactivate the Virus

Canadian Meat Processor Reports 80 COVID Cases

Meat Processors in Many Countries Trying to Cope with Outbreaks

______________________________________________________________________________

Researchers Tackle the Surface Transmission of COVID-19 in New Partnership

A project to develop surface treatments that can provide long-lasting protection against the COVID-19 virus has been launched at the University of Birmingham.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, the research will see the development of new antiviral sprays, films, and other products. These can be delivered via additives in existing commercial products, such as detergents, or integrated with current packaging processes, forming an invisible and long-lasting film of sub-micron thickness. Unlike existing disinfectants, the formulations will be designed to both capture the aerosol droplets and inactivate the virus. 

The research is being carried out over the next 18 months in partnership with the University of Cambridge and three key industrial partners: Dupont Teijin Film (DTF), Innospec, and FiberLean with the aim of rapidly commercialising the formulations produced.

A key focus during the first phase of the project will be to better understand the underpinning antiviral mechanism. This is important because recent evidence suggests different surfaces can affect the ability of the COVID-19 virus to survive.

For example, we know the virus can remain active for several days on smooth surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel, but for only a few hours on newspaper. Surface characteristics such as porosity, rigidity, and roughness all affect the virus’s viability, and the team aim to draw on their expertise in soft matter, surface chemistry, formulation engineering, and microbiology together with the product development capabilities offered by the industrial partners.

Project lead, Dr Zhenyu Jason Zhang from the University of Birmingham’s School of Chemical Engineering, explains: “Scientific work so far suggests that COVID-19 is transmitted via aerosol droplets that not only carry but very likely protect the virus. The products we are developing will disrupt such protective environment, leaving the virus exposed and unable to survive once the aerosol droplets land on a communal surface such as handrail, tabletop.”

Of the three industrial partners, Dupont Teijin Film is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of polyester film that is used extensively for face-shields, food packaging, and digiprint; Innospec develops and manufactures additives as performance chemicals; whilst FiberLean is a global manufacturer of micro-fibrillated cellulose that is used in packaging and other applications as additives. They all have decade long partnership with the School of Chemical Engineering at Birmingham via the internationally renowned Centre for Formulation Engineering.

Some Decontamination Processes Damage N95 Face Masks

Certain methods of decontaminating medical face masks for repeated use during the COVID-19 pandemic appear to damage the masks' integrity and protective function, according to research by a University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist.

"Some treatments for decontamination had no impact on respirator performance, while other treatments resulted in substantial damage to masks," writes Richard Peltier, associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences and lead author of the paper published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Peltier received a fast-track grant from the National Science Foundation in May to study the impact of various sterilization techniques authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in light of the shortage of medical face masks, also known as N95 respirators.

"Given the global N95 shortages, clinicians face a choice: wearing a used, and potentially infected respirator, or wearing one that was decontaminated through a process that may affect the integrity of the respirator," says Peltier, whose co-authors include doctors and researchers at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

Peltier uses state-of-the-art pollution detection instruments and a mannequin head in his lab to measure whether microscopic particles can pass through the masks after they are sterilized. "Respirators must be effective across a range of potential conditions to provide protection since droplets that contain virus particles immediately start to evaporate and shrink," he explains.

While the testing was limited by the availability of processed masks provided by hospitals in Massachusetts, the study draws several generalizable conclusions, Peltier says.

Respirators that were treated between one and 10 times with specific vaporized hydrogen peroxide (vHP) sterilizers or up to five times with shorter decontamination cycles of gas plasma hydrogen peroxide (gpHP) retain their original filtration capabilities. A decontamination process using ultraviolent germicidal irradiance (UVGI) slowly diminishes filtration efficiency, reaching a level "that warrants caution" after nine repeated treatments, the research found. "However, there are still a number of sterilizer systems that are being used on these masks which we don't have information about and therefore can't determine if they keep workers safe," Peltier says.

Treatments with high concentrations of gpHP or longer processing times degraded filtration performance below the requirement for N95 masks, which should be capable of filtering 95% of 300 nanometer (nm) particles.

For comparison, Peltier also tested a KN95 mask, some brands of which have been removed from the FDA's emergency-use list due to poor performance, and a four-ply polyester bandana. Neither had been treated with any decontamination technique, and both performed below N95 standards. Peltier also found that immersing an N95 mask in a 10% bleach solution degraded its performance.

Peltier notes that his study did not address the masks' fit or general integrity, including elastic function, corrosion on staples and compression of the respirator, all of which are important for proper functioning. His research highlights the importance of using decontamination techniques shown to be safe for the reuse of N95 masks.

"We hope this work supports good decision-making that protects those who are on the front lines of this pandemic keeping us all safe," Peltier says. "Without them, none of us are safe."

Bluetree  to Produce 100 tons of Meltblowns Monthly in the UK

The UK’s first manufacturer of type IIR surgical face masks, Bluetree Group, has taken delivery of England’s very first meltblown machines.

It means the business can create the vital bacterial filtration layer of the face masks, or ‘meltblown’, in house.

Installation of two of the machines at the company’s Rotherham factory will enable the team to produce 100 tonnes of meltblown each month and provide the country with a constant and reliable source of surgical face masks.

As the COVID-19 outbreak has progressed, meltblown has become one of the scarcest materials in the world, with many countries banning its export.

Given that meltblown plays such an essential part of the manufacturing process of Bluetree Group’s masks, the company decided to bring the manufacturing of this material in-house.

Following an appeal from the World Health Organization (WHO) in March for industry to help increase face mask production by 40%, the printing business diversified its manufacturing capabilities to help with the response to Covid-19 and keep the UK protected during the pandemic.

Bluetree Group offers a face mask subscription service where professionals, organizations and individuals can purchase type IIR surgical face masks.

Having secured contracts to supply face masks to the NHS and Daily Mail’s charity, Mail Force, Bluetree Group will, at peak capacity produce 1.7 million masks a day.

Lydall Expects $11 Million in Meltblown Revenue in Second Half

Lydall, experienced  “historic declines” in the automotive industry, Sara Greenstein, CEO, told investor analysts in July as Lydall released its second-quarter financial results. Net sales of $146.2 million in the April-June quarter fell more than one-third from the same period last year, due primarily to the shutdown of car manufacturing due to COVID-19 and weaker industrial demand, Lydall said.

However, Lydall said continued strong demand for filtration products should offset downturns in other businesses, with meltblown media sales for N95 and surgical masks contributing sales of $10 million to $12 million in the second half of 2020.

Lydall’s exposure to the automotive market is in its technical nonwoven materials and products with applications in air pollution control, home appliance, the automotive industry and other areas. And its thermal acoustical business makes engineered products for noise and heat abatement in products found primarily in underbody and under hood applications in vehicles.

Debate on Price Capping of Masks in Mantralaya

Ten days after a state-appointed expert committee submitted a proposal to cap prices of masks, bringing down the cost by 40 to 60 per cent, the proposal remains stuck in Mantralaya.

Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope had told The Indian Express that the recommendation of the committee would be implemented from October 8. A week since, the file awaits final nod.

Sources in the public health department said the proposal was “promptly signed” on October 7 and put up before Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. But with mask manufacturers strongly opposing price capping, the approval has been delayed, said officials.

An official from the Chief Minister’s Office said the file was put up before him last week, but it was sent back to the department with instructions to be sent to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

When contacted, Tope’s said: “The CM has agreed in principle to the proposal. The file was sent back to health department with some queries. We have sent it for approval to deputy CM today. The price cap will be introduced in a day or two.”

Until June 30, masks and sanitizers were part of the essential commodity list of the Union government. Following complaints of highly-priced masks, the state government decided to cap prices. On July 31, a four-member expert committee was set up to study manufacturing cost and advise ceiling prices.

The committee inspected two major manufacturers – Venus Health and Safety Private Limited and Magnum Health and Safety Private Limited – and studied their records found with the public health department, GST officials and central excise department. The committee submitted its report on October 5. After factoring a 45 per cent profit margin in supply chain, it recommended N-95 mask to be capped between Rs 15 to Rs 49, filtration face piece mask at Rs 12, 3-ply meltblown mask at Rs 4 and 2-ply mask at Rs 3.

Currently, while a 3-ply meltblown mask costs anywhere between Rs 20 to Rs 40 ($0.27 to $0.54), a N-95 mask costs Rs 100 to Rs 400 ($1.35 to $5.42) in the market. However, a 3-ply mask is available for Rs 20 and a N-95 mask between Rs 120 to Rs 200 at chemist shops.

Chemist Anil Navandar, also the general secretary of Maharashtra State Chemist and Druggists Association, said he purchases a N-95 mask for Rs 20 to Rs 60 and sells it for Rs 80 to Rs 100. He also purchases a 3-ply mask for Rs 5 to Rs 10.

“The cost of masks has increased because the raw material costs more. Earlier, we got cheaper raw material from China. The chain involves distributors, stockists and retailers, who also keep a certain profit margin,” Navandar said.

Several private hospitals charge patients a high price for N-95 masks. Tushar Garg was discharged from Mulund’s Apex hospital on Tuesday with a bill of Rs 2.7 lakh for eight days of hospitalization. The bill (accessed by The Indian Express) shows he was charged Rs 7,200 for 36 N-95 masks. “I was on oxygen support for hardly three days. I was stable and fine during most of my hospitalizations. Still the bill was so high,” he said.

J B Mantri, Joint Commissioner (Drugs) of Food and Drug Administration, said: “We can only take action if the MRP is exceeded. But if the MRP is labeled high, it is difficult to take action. Price capping of masks is the only solution.”

Return of Air Pollution to India will Exacerbate  COVID Problem

The dramatic drop in air pollution after large swathes of South Asia shut down in response to Covid-19 was short-lived. Newly clean skies in cities from Peshawar to Guwahati stirred hope that action on South Asia’s lethal air pollution was possible. But as lockdowns eased, pollution levels crept back up.

Now experts warn that bad air could worsen the spread and severity of the coronavirus pandemic this winter as South Asia descends into its annual smog season. Pollution levels peak every autumn and winter, when agricultural waste burning, industry, vehicle fumes and brick kilns combine to create a toxic soup.

Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan have overtaken China and become home to the most polluted cities in the world. Millions of people die every year from breathing in poisonous air, with life expectancy cut by five years on average. This rises to more than eight years in the most polluted areas of northern India.

But governments have failed to act. In India, activists have rejected the government’s National Clean Air Programme as insufficient. While some real-time data is available in India, cities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal still lack basic equipment for monitoring air pollution, let alone a robust strategy to address the sources.

Emerging studies, currently undergoing peer review, suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution before the pandemic is associated with severe symptoms from Covid-19 and a greater risk of death.

Academics at Harvard University looked at fatalities from the virus and historic levels of dangerous particulate matter, known as PM2.5, across the United States. They found that high levels of particulate pollution in the years before the pandemic were associated with an 8% rise in Covid-19 death rates.

Another study in the Netherlands found that a small increase in exposure to pollution raised the death rate by up to 21%, though the World Health Organization said the methodology used and the results would need to be evaluated and overall, more data is needed to understand the way air pollution can affect the development of the disease.

While the evidence from South Asia is still scarce, public health experts in India are echoing the warning given by the WHO and calling on the government to take immediate action.

“Our worst fears are that as the winters arrive and air pollution rises this could compound the Covid-19 situation,” said TK Joshi, health expert at India’s Central Pollution Control Board and member of the prime minister’s Covid-19 task force. “Already our health infrastructure is under tremendous stress.”

Speaking about the connection between air pollution and the pandemic at a webinar organized by World Wide Fund India, Joshi said, “The quality of air has a bearing on a person’s immunity.”

Moderate Heat and Humidity to Inactivate the Virus

New research suggests a simple combination of moderate heat and high relative humidity can disinfect N95 mask materials without hindering their ability to filter out virus particles.

Unlike other disinfecting strategies, researchers suggest their novel mask treatment can be relatively easily automated and scaled-up.

"This is really an issue, so if you can find a way to recycle the masks a few dozen times, the shortage goes way down," senior study author Steven Chu said in a news release.

"You can imagine each doctor or nurse having their own personal collection of up to a dozen masks. The ability to decontaminate several of these masks while they are having a coffee break will lessen the chance that masks contaminated with COVID viruses would expose other patients," said Chu, a professor of molecular and cellular physiology at Stanford University.

Researchers have previously tested a variety of disinfecting strategies, including ultraviolet light, hydrogen peroxide vapors and chemical disinfectants. One study found a spin in the microwave can successfully sterilize used N95 masks.

Unfortunately, each of these strategies has been shown to degrade the filtering abilities of respirator

For the new study, published this month in the journal ACS Nano, researchers sprayed coronavirus virus-dosed fluids on pieces of meltblown fabric, the main filtering component in N95 masks.

After allowing the pieces of fabric to dry, researchers exposed them to temperatures from 25 to 95 degrees Celsius for up to 30 minutes with relative humidity up to 100 percent.

The higher scientists turned up the temperature, the less and less virus scientists were able to find on the treated fabric samples. But at the highest temperatures, researchers found the meltblown fabric pieces lost some of their filtering ability.

Tests revealed the sweet spot for decontamination and material integrity to be 85 degrees Celsius with 100 percent relatively humidity.

Researchers got similar results when they performed the same tests with the coronavirus responsible for the common cold and the chikungunya virus. The results showed the masks could be treated up to 20 times before they began to suffer declines in filtering performance.

Scientists say their disinfecting method should be adopted by hospitals and healthcare providers to relieve pressures on PPE supplies, adding that N95 mask reuse has environmental and economic benefits.

"It's good all around," said Stanford professor Yi Cui.

Canadian Meat Processor Reports 80 COVID Cases

Workers at an Olymel meat-packing plant in the Beauce region are being tested for COVID-19, after a weekend outbreak infected dozens of employees.

The union representing the facility's 1,200 employees said 80 people have tested positive so far.

"People are still working, but they're worried. There are some who are still waiting for test results," said Martin Maurice, president of the Syndicat des travailleurs d'Olymel Vallée-Jonction.

A 65-year-old worker, who tested positive for COVID-19, died on Tuesday. The company issued a statement mourning the employee's passing and confirmed the test result. It also said, "an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of his death and whether it was related to COVID-19."

The statement also said Olymel called in the regional public health authority over the weekend to undertake a mass testing campaign given "the factory is situated in a red zone and several employees have presented symptoms despite the rigorous application of significant sanitary measures."

The union doesn't dispute the adequacy of the safety procedures inside the plant, but Maurice told Radio-Canada some employees have let their guard down over recent months in common areas like the cafeteria and change rooms.

He also said, "the company also has its share of faults," noting that during the first COVID-19 wave it staggered shifts in order to allow enough time for work stations to be properly cleaned. It also limited overtime.

Maurice said neither of those measures have been in place since summer, although he added the company said this week it plans to re-institute the pause between shifts.

He also told Radio-Canada the provincial workplace safety board has been on the premises this week "to correct certain situations."

The union is asking for a temporary closure.

Olymel employs 15,000 people and operates processing facilities in five provinces. It is the largest hog producer in Canada.

The company closed its facility in Yamachiche, near Trois-Rivières, for two weeks this past March, after nine employees tested positive for coronavirus.

Another positive test in August at Olymel's plant in Red Deer, Alta., resulted in the preventive isolation of 13 workers. None tested positive for COVID-19.

Meat Processors in Many Countries Trying to Cope with Outbreaks

From the United States to Brazil, Britain, Germany and Australia, meat-processing plants have played a peculiar role in spreading COVID-19.

In Brazil, union officials allege one-fifth of the industry's employees—about 100,000 meat plant workers—have been infected. In the US, meat-processing facilities have been linked to more than 38,500 cases and at least 180 deaths. Meat works made up almost half of US COVID-19 hotspots in May. They were also the major initial source of infections in Australia's June "second wave" outbreak in the state of Victoria.

One reason for these transmissions is that meat processing takes place in confined refrigerated spaces. But the fact the industry has not been linked with large viral outbreaks in all countries and regions suggests other, controllable factors have also been instrumental.

The fundamental lesson from these outbreaks is that unhealthy working conditions and precarious work need to be addressed to stop the meat industry acting as an incubator of COVID-19.

Past studies have shown influenza and other coronaviruses (SARS and MERS) are more stable and therefore spread more easily in lower temperatures. Though lower temperatures have not yet been conclusively proven to increase COVID-19 transmissions, Australian researchers have identified an association with lower humidity.

This alone increases the risk to meat-processing workers, who perform strenuous manual labor on a production line in relatively close proximity to others. But that risk is compounded by other factors—particularly poor air quality contributing to respiratory illness, which makes any COVID-19 infection more severe.

As noted by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, among the "many serious safety and health hazards" long associated with meat-processing work are "biological hazards associated with handling live animals or exposures to feces and blood which can increase their risk for many diseases".

A 2017 study found respiratory disorders such as coughing, breathlessness and wheezing three to four times more prevalent among slaughterhouse workers than office workers. Among poultry workers, a 2013 study found more than 40% had asthmatic symptoms (compared with about 10% of all adults). This was attributed to "poultry dust", a biologically active combination of chicken residue, feathers and molds.

Insufficient ventilation makes the spread of the coronavirus 20 times more likely, according to a report published by the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions in June.

That report lists other factors too, such as inadequate social distancing and a dearth of appropriate personal protective equipment. But ultimately, poor air-quality is symptomatic of the lack of a healthy and safe workplace for many meat-processing workers.

It is also pertinent to the rest of us. The American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air‐Conditioning Engineers, for example, has recommended ventilation air intake in all buildings should now be three air changes an hour. That's three to five times higher than the minimum standard for offices.

What this all comes down to is a critical need to improve health and safety standards in abattoirs and meat processing facilities across the board.

The other main lesson to be drawn from the meat-processing industry is the risk posed by "precarious work", where workers lack the rights and protections of being an employee.

It is no coincidence, as the European Federation Union report argues, that the vast majority of meat workers testing positive in Europe have been migrant workers, hired through subcontractors, with few employment rights and often living in overcrowded accommodation.

An estimated 80% of meat workers in the Netherlands, for example, are from central and eastern Europe, employed through temporary agencies.

Workers are typically employed as casuals, or "daily hires" (meaning their jobs technically terminate at the end of every shift) or through subcontracting arrangements that deem them "self-employed". As the report notes: "Employment conditions for many meat workers are extremely precarious. Moreover, the level of sick pay allowances can be very low. This may have determined the fact that in case of experiencing COVID-19 symptoms some workers have not reported the status of their health conditions for fear of losing their job or for not being able to afford a decent living with sick pay allowances."

Evidence from a number of countries shows these things can be fixed.

Denmark is the poster-child for the automation of meat processing and decent pay, allowing for social distancing within factories and thus low COVID-19 outbreaks.

In Spain, a collective agreement that guarantees subcontracted workers the same conditions as other employees has been credited with controlling COVID-19 transmissions.

In Germany, transmissions linked to meat processing slowed after abattoirs were banned from hiring temporary workers in May.

In Victoria, Australia, ensuring all workers have access to paid pandemic leave (along with other measures including the government mandating strict physical distancing and safety protocols in plants) appears to have proven successful.

But many of these responses are only temporary emergency responses. The global pandemic has brought global attention to the longer-term need for systemic reform to eliminate the dangers of unhealthy workplaces and disempowered workers and ensure that workers can afford to stay home when they are sick.

In a sense we are all complicit in a system that has seen working conditions worsen over the last decade. We've accepted the rise of complex subcontracting and fake "phoenix" companies designed to strip workers of employee status, and supermarket and fast-food chains pushing cost pressures down supply chains, simply because we like cheap meat.

There are moves in Europe to address this lack of accountability through extending legal liability throughout the whole subcontracting chain. Other countries would do well to learn from these examples.