Dastex Outlines Cleanroom Mask Priorities

VAI Offers Variety of Mask Efficiencies for Cleanrooms

Hourglass International has Masks for Class 100 Cleanrooms

Kaiser Health News Raises Questions About Plasma Air Purifiers

IQ Air Provides Recommendations for a Partially Vaccinated Population

In Japan Virus Surges and Threatens the Olympics

______________________________________________________________________________

Dastex Outlines Cleanroom Mask Priorities

With a few marked exceptions, Dastex’s face masks are neither medical face masks certified according to DIN EN 14683:2019-10 nor face masks that have been tested by a Notified Body according to Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment. 

Reason: The sole purpose of these face masks is to limit the transfer of particulate and microbiological contaminants, which are emitted by the wearer, in cleanrooms/rooms of technical cleanliness, in such a way that primarily the product, but also its production environment, is not contaminated. This also explains the very high particle filtration efficiency (PFE) such as bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) required by the cleanroom industry for these face masks.

A disposable face mask with acceptable filtration efficiency consists of three plies (layers), usually made of polyethylene non-woven fabrics, whereby the middle layer is decisive for the filtration efficiency. The layer facing the skin should be soft and comfortable to wear. The outer layer should mainly protect the filter medium from damage. A common feature of all face masks is the flexible, shapeable embedded nose clip at the upper edge, which, when handled correctly, should help to ensure that as little unfiltered air as possible can escape upwards, past the side of the nose wings.

Fit is important and needs to take into account the varying face sizes.

 

VAI Offers Variety of Mask Efficiencies for Cleanrooms

The PF-2 face masks have been innovatively designed for use in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and compounding industries or in any cleanroom operation. VAI’s PF-2 face masks are made of 100% rayon. The PF-2 face mask allows for excellent breathability, comfort, and protection, while maintaining filtration efficiency. The mask is designed to absorb moisture, therefore, it continually improves its own filtration efficiency. PF-2 face masks are low in particulate and shedding characteristics and offer a barrier between the environment and the user. VAI’s PF-2 face masks are available in sterile and non-sterile varieties with two elastic head straps or four tie head straps.

VAI’s PF-4 face masks have been designed for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and compounding industries or in any cleanroom operation. PF-4 face masks are made up of three layers of non-woven material that includes a soft layer to prevent skin irritation or allergy problems. A coated metal strip acts as a nose piece to keep the mask secure when worn. This mask is electro-mechanically sealed, completely machine made in a clean environment. PF-4 face masks are available sterile with two elastic head straps.

VAI’s FaceVector^TM masks have been designed for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, compounding, pharmacies, and hospitals. FaceVector masks are made up of three layers of Spunbound Polypropylene (SBPP) materials which has soft layers that help prevent skin irritation or allergy problems. A coated metal strip acts as a nose piece to keep the mask secure when worn. FaceVector masks are available non-sterile with two elastic ear loop bands.

Finally, VAI offers a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved N95 filtering face mask. These N95 masks have a 95% filter efficiency level effective against particulate aerosols free of oil. Fit test must be used either qualitatively or quantitatively according to 29 CFR 1910.134. All directions for fitting/donning, all cautions and limitations, and storage conditions must be followed. N95 mask model number: GIKO 1200H, NIOSH N95 approval number: TC-84A-4653.

 

Hourglass International has Masks for Class 100 Cleanrooms

HCE™ Cleanroom Face Masks for ISO 5 / Clean Class 100 and up, are manufactured for long-wearing comfort and protect your cleanroom or controlled environment from human contaminants – skin flakes, cosmetics, bacteria and other particles.

·         Configured with the cleanest non-woven ES (PP/PE)/meltblown polypropylene (MBPP)/spun-bond polypropylene (SBPP) materials

·         High bacterial and particle filtration efficiency for protection of both product and person

·         Ear loops, ties and head-loops attached to mask body for strength

·         Manufactured and packed in cleanroom environment

·         Double bagged cleanroom packaging to ensure particle control

·         Ultra-low lint level design for critical environments

·         Statistical manufacturing process controls ensure consistency and quality lot after lot for use in semiconductor, disc-drive, medical device, pharmaceutical and biomed applications

·         Ideal for particle control – both personal and product protection

  

Basic Material	PP & PE (ES), Meltblown (MBPP)
Basic Weight	ES-16g/m2, MBPP-20g/m2
Band Type	Tie-On / Ear-Loop / Head-Loop
Band Material	PU or Elastic
Nose Piece	Soft Flexible Plastic
Ply	2ply or 3ply
Color	Blue or White
Standard Packing	50 pcs/bag, 40 bags/case
APC (>=0.3um, counts/piece)	200

 

Kaiser Health News Raises Questions About Plasma Air Purifiers

Last summer, Global Plasma Solutions wanted to test whether the company’s air-purifying devices could kill covid-19 virus particles but could find only a lab using a chamber the size of a shoebox for its trials. In the company-funded study, the virus was blasted with 27,000 ions per cubic centimeter.

In September, the company’s founder incidentally mentioned that the devices being offered for sale actually deliver a lot less ion power — 13 times less — into a full-sized room.

The company nonetheless used the shoebox results — over 99% viral reduction — in marketing its device heavily to schools as something that could combat covid in classrooms far, far larger than a shoebox.

School officials desperate to calm worried parents bought these devices and others with a flood of federal funds, installing them in more than 2,000 schools across 44 states, a KHN investigation found. They use the same technology — ionization, plasma and dry hydrogen peroxide — that the Lancet COVID-19 Commission recently deemed “often unproven” and potential sources of pollution themselves.

In the frenzy, schools are buying technology that academic air-quality experts warn can lull them into a false sense of security or even potentially harm kids. And schools often overlook the fact that their trusted contractors — typically engineering, HVAC or consulting firms — stand to earn big money from the deals, KHN found.

Academic experts are encouraging schools to pump in more fresh air and use tried-and-true filters, like HEPA, to capture the virus. Yet every ion- or hydroxyl-blasting air purifier sale strengthens a firm’s next pitch: The device is doing a great job in the neighboring town.

“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more people buy these technologies, the more they get legitimacy,” said Jeffrey Siegel, a civil engineering professor at the University of Toronto. “It’s really the complete wild west out there.”

Marwa Zaatari, a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ (ASHRAE) Epidemic Task Force, first compiled a list of schools and districts using such devices.

Schools have been “bombarded with persistent salespersons peddling the latest air and cleaning technologies, including those with minimal evidence to-date supporting safety and efficacy” according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Green Schools and ASHRAE.

Zaatari said she was particularly concerned that officials in New Jersey are buying thousands of devices made by another company that says they emit ozone, which can exacerbate asthma and harm developing lungs, according to decades of research.

“We’re going to live in a world where the air quality in schools is worse after the pandemic, after all of this money,” Zaatari said. “It’s really sickening.”

The sales race is fueled by roughly $193 billion in federal funds allocated to schools for teacher pay and safety upgrades — a giant fund that can be used to buy air cleaners. And Democrats are pushing for $100 billion more that could also be spent on air cleaners.

In April, Global Plasma Solutions said further tests show its devices inactivate covid in the air and on surfaces in larger chambers. The company studies still use about twice the level of ions than its leaders have publicly said the devices can deliver, KHN found.

There is virtually no federal oversight or enforcement of safe air-cleaning technology. Only California bans air cleaners that emit a certain amount of ozone.

U.S. Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), chair of the education and labor committee, said the federal government typically is not involved in local decisions of what products to buy, although he hopes for more federal guidance.

In the meantime, “these school systems are dealing with contractors providing all kinds of services,” he said, “so you just have to trust them to get the best expert advice on what to do.”

These go-between contractors — and the air cleaner companies themselves — have a stake in the sales. While their names might appear in school board records, their role in selling the device or commission from the deal is seldom made public, KHN found.

A LinkedIn job ad with the logo for one air purifier company, ActivePure Technology, which employs former Trump adviser Dr. Deborah Birx as its chief medical and science adviser, recruited salespeople this way: “Make Tons of Money with this COVID-killing Technology!!” The commission, the post said, is up to $900 per device.

“We have reps [who] made over 6-figures in one month selling to one school district,” the ad says. “This could be the biggest opportunity you have seen!”

Schools in New Jersey have a particularly easy time buying air cleaners called Odorox: A state education agency lists them on their group-purchasing commodity list, with a large unit selling for more than $5,100. Originally used in home restoration and mold remediation, the devices have become popular in New Jersey schools as the company says its products can inactivate covid.

In Newark, administrators welcomed students back to class last month with more than 3,200 Odorox units, purchased with $7.5 million in federal funds, said Steven Morlino, executive director of Facilities Management for Newark Public Schools.

“I think parents feel pretty comfortable that their children are going to a safe environment,” he said. “And so did the staff.”

Environmental health and air-quality experts, though, are alarmed by the district’s plan.

IQ Air Provides Recommendations for a Partially Vaccinated Population

As organizations consider re-opening and employees return to workplaces, it’s time to revisit best practices for helping prevent COVID-19 spread and infection in shared workspaces and other communal work settings.

Along with social distancing and engineered filtration pressure differentials, masks can be helpful in preventing short-range transmission.

Since the coronavirus is spread through mucous membranes, which are the thin mucus-producing layers that line your airways, it is important to avoid close contact. This is how most infections occur.

What you can do:

·         Choose an appropriate mask. Protection for yourself and others will vary based on the type of mask you wear. Be sure you know the differences between masks before you purchase one. Properly wearing masks is also essential to infection control and for helping prevent transmission. Until there is widespread vaccination and herd immunity is achieved, it is essential to continue wearing a mask even when fully vaccinated. 

·         Keep 6 feet apart from the next person so that you are out of harm’s way in case they sneeze or cough.

·         Do not share utensils, cups, dishes, pens, etc.

·         Do not touch people. This includes handshakes, hugs, and other common sources of physical contact.

·         Keep meetings small with enough space to be six feet apart or join with video conferencing.

Aerosol in long-range transmission (airborne transmission) 

When an infected person coughs or sneezes, not all of the mucous membrane that’s released lands on surfaces – there is a portion of that mucous that remains airborne.

These small respiratory droplets, 5 microns in diameter or smaller, can remain in the air and travel on air currents far from their source. The distance can depend on environmental factors but can be over 3 feet and beyond. 

If the air is left unfiltered after dozens of coughs or sneezes over the course of several hours, the airborne concentration of the virus can become very high. In fact, in hospital settings or in the homes of people who are infected, the airborne concentration can be so high that simply breathing in this environment can cause infection.

This is why health workers, medical professionals, and first responders need special safety equipment, such as N95 masks. 

What you can do:

·         Keep 6 feet apart from the next person so that you are out of harm’s way in case they sneeze or cough.

·         Avoid stagnant air. Keep your HVAC running on fan "ON" setting—not "AUTO"—to ensure that the air is always moving. HVAC air filtration can help reduce airborne infectious material. If there is no HVAC in your office, keep windows open as often as possible. This helps ensure that airborne viruses are diluted to non-critical levels.

·         Use a high-performance air purifier. Some air purifiers can help reduce airborne viruses and improve air quality at work when source control measures, such as handwashing, wearing masks, and maintaining social distance, are being practiced in workplaces.

·         Consider using a personal air purifier. A personal air purifier in your workplace can help provide direct access to clean air.

In Japan Virus Surges and Threatens the Olympics

Trains packed with commuters returning to work after a weeklong national holiday. Frustrated young people drinking in the streets because bars are closed. Protests planned over a possible visit by the Olympics chief.

As the coronavirus spreads in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Olympics starting in 11 weeks, one of the world’s least vaccinated nations is showing signs of strain, both societal and political.

The government — desperate to show a worried public it is in control of virus efforts even as it pushes a massive sporting event that a growing number of Japanese oppose hosting in a pandemic — on Friday announced a decision to expand and extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas through May 31.

For Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the emergency declaration is both a health measure and a political tightrope walk as domestic criticism rises of Japan’s seeming determination to hold the Olympics at any cost.

“I understand there are concerns about hosting the Olympics,” Suga said. He said foreign athletes and other participants will be strictly separated from the Japanese public and that “it is possible to hold a safe and secure Olympics while protecting the people’s lives and health.”

Suga said a donation of vaccines by Pfizer Inc. to the International Olympic Committee for athletes will be “a big contribution” to a safe games.

A speculated mid-May visit by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has become “extremely difficult” because of the extension of the emergency, Japanese organizing chief Seiko Hashimoto said at a news conference Friday.

The government has also been criticized over its snail-paced vaccination rollout, which has fully covered less than 1% of the population since inoculations began in mid-February.

Suga pledged on Friday to speed up inoculations so all 36 million elderly Japanese can be fully vaccinated by the end of July. He set a daily target of 1 million shots, more than 20 times the current daily average, but did not explain how that would be possible amid a dire shortage of medical workers who can give vaccinations.

Japan has avoided implementing a hard lockdown to curb infections, and past states of emergency have had little teeth, with people and businesses free to ignore the provisions. These measures have since been toughened, but they come as citizens show increased impatience and less desire to cooperate, making it possible that the emergency declaration will be less effective.

The current state of emergency in Tokyo and Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures in the west was scheduled to end Tuesday. Suga said his government has decided to extend it in those areas and expand it to Aichi in central Japan and Fukuoka in the south.

On Friday, two days after “Golden Week” holiday makers returned to their daily routine, Tokyo logged 907 new cases of coronavirus infections, up sharply from 635 when the state of emergency began in the capital last month, but far above the target of 100 that some experts recommend.

Officials and experts say significantly fewer people may have been tested for the virus during the holiday, when many testing centers and hospitals were closed, and caution the numbers during and right after the holiday period may not reflect reality.

During the holidays, significantly more people than last year were seen at tourist spots in Kyoto and Nara despite stay-at-home requests. With drinking places closed, younger people carrying canned beer and snacks gathered in parks and streets in downtown Tokyo. When the holiday ended, many defied requests for remote work and returned to their offices on packed trains.

The extension deepens uncertainties over a speculated May 17 visit by International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach, and whether Japan can safely host the Olympics postponed from last year and currently scheduled for July 23-Aug. 8.

Despite criticism for being slow to take virus measures, Suga has been reluctant to hurt the already pandemic-damaged economy and pledged to keep the state of emergency “short and intensive,” though experts said just over two weeks would be too short to effectively slow the infections and even the extension may be insufficient.

Dr. Shigeru Omi, head of a government taskforce, cautioned officials Friday that a hasty lifting of the emergency would only invite an immediate resurgence.

The ongoing emergency is Japan’s third and came only a month after an earlier measure ended in the Tokyo area.

Less stringent, quasi-emergency measures will be expanded to eight prefectures from the current six, where bars and restaurants are required to close early.

Japan has had about 621,000 cases including about 10,600 deaths since the pandemic began.

Medical systems in hardest-hit Osaka have been under severe pressure from a COVID-19 outbreak there that is hampering ordinary health care, experts say. A number of patients died at home recently after their conditions worsened while waiting for vacancies at hospitals.

Past emergency measures authorized only non-mandatory requests. The government in February toughened a law on anti-virus measures to allow authorities to issue binding orders for nonessential businesses to shorten their hours or close, in exchange for compensation for those who comply and penalties for violators.

Shutdown requirements will be eased somewhat. Bars, karaoke studios and most other entertainment facilities will be required to remain closed until the end of May, but department stores will be able to operate for shorter hours and stadiums and concert halls will be allowed to have up to 5,000 people or half their capacity.

Wearing masks, staying home and other measures for the general public remain non-mandatory requests.