In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 16, No. 3 ( 2021-3-17), p. e0247575-
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread shortages of N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment (PPE). An effective, reusable, locally-manufactured respirator can mitigate this problem. We describe the development, manufacture, and preliminary testing of an open-hardware-licensed device, the “simple silicone mask” (SSM). Methods A multidisciplinary team developed a reusable silicone half facepiece respirator over 9 prototype iterations. The manufacturing process consisted of 3D printing and silicone casting. Prototypes were assessed for comfort and breathability. Filtration was assessed by user seal checks and quantitative fit-testing according to CSA Z94.4–18. Results The respirator originally included a cartridge for holding filter material; this was modified to connect to standard heat-moisture exchange (HME) filters (N95 or greater) after the cartridge showed poor filtration performance due to flow acceleration around the filter edges, which was exacerbated by high filter resistance. All 8 HME-based iterations provided an adequate seal by user seal checks and achieved a pass rate of 87.5% (N = 8) on quantitative testing, with all failures occurring in the first iteration. The overall median fit-factor was 1662 (100 = pass). Estimated unit cost for a production run of 1000 using distributed manufacturing techniques is CAD $15 in materials and 20 minutes of labor. Conclusion Small-scale manufacturing of an effective, reusable N95 respirator during a pandemic is feasible and cost-effective. Required quantities of reusables are more predictable and less vulnerable to supply chain disruption than disposables. With further evaluation, such devices may be an alternative to disposable respirators during public health emergencies. The respirator described above is an investigational device and requires further evaluation and regulatory requirements before clinical deployment. The authors and affiliates do not endorse the use of this device at present.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g002
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g003
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g004
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g005
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g006
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g007
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g008
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g009
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g010
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g011
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g012
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g013
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g014
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g015
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.g016
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.t001
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.t002
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.t003
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.s001
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.r001
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10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.r002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.r003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.r004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.r005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0247575.r006
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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