Assessment of Filtration Efficiency, Manikin Fit Performance, and Strap Performance for Decontaminated N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Supplies of N95® filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) can become depleted during widespread outbreaks of infectious respiratory illnesses. To supplement the national inventory of NIOSH Approved® N95 FFRs during times of extreme shortages, FFR reuse following decontamination is a possible strategy. Decontamination is a process to reduce the number of pathogens on used FFRs before reuse. An effective FFR decontamination technique should significantly reduce the pathogen burden, but not reduce a respirator’s filtration performance or its ability to fit properly. Another consideration is that no hazardous chemical residue should be left on the FFR following the decontamination process.