Sandia helps increase respirator mask supply

Sandia National Laboratories is partnering with local hospitals and medical device manufacturers to increase the availability of respirator masks for health care workers.

“We’re helping local medical device manufacturers test materials used in medical-grade masks, and we’re helping local hospitals evaluate their methods of cleaning N95 masks for reuse,” says Sandia Fellow Gil Herrera. “We’re providing information they need to make decisions regarding the reuse of sterilized N95 masks and the use of alternatives to N95 masks to protect health care workers and patients.”

N95 respirator masks block 95% of extremely small particles without restricting breathing. Sandia is conducting tests to show how new mask designs measure up to these industry standards. Sandia is also studying disinfection methods that could enable hospitals to reuse masks, reducing the need for new ones.

Assistance has been provided at no cost to partners through a combination of internal funds and funding from the Department of Energy Office of Science.

Testing unconventional materials
When respirators ran low in hospitals, Albuquerque companies Marpac, Sierra Peaks, and Sew-EZ approached Sandia for help testing unconventional materials – such as vacuum bags and materials in heating and air conditioning systems – that could be used to manufacture more.

Sandia principal investigator Michael Omana led a team that modified existing aerosol and filtration systems used for nuclear nonproliferation to conduct tests and comparison studies for the projects. One of the test systems included an automated filter tester intended for material certification.

Through these tests, the researchers identified the most promising filter medium, comparable to N95 filtration, to use for respirator production.

“Sandia isn’t a certification lab, but we were able to use the systems to provide quantitative results,” Omana says. “We’ve been able to utilize two independent systems to validate a robust data set.”

Evaluating reuse technologies
Sandia is collaborating with the University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital to assess how to safely decontaminate and reuse respirators.

The team is examining a hydrogen-peroxide vapor method currently being used by UNM Hospital, as well as less specialized techniques that could be used at smaller hospitals.

The study examines the impact of repeated decontamination cycles on N95 masks’ respirator filtration, fit, and mechanical integrity. Sandia and UNM Hospital are seeking to understand degradation mechanisms and explore differences due to the make and model of respirators and decontamination methods.

Advancing sterilization techniques
Supercritical carbon dioxide – a solvent that has properties of both a liquid and a gas – is becoming increasingly popular as an eco-friendly alternative in the dry-cleaning industry. It might also safely and reliably sterilize N95 respirators and other critical medical supplies for reuse on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Sandia team in Livermore, California, is investigating. If found to be appropriate and effective, the sterilization process could be rapidly deployed at hospitals nationwide.

Many conventional sterilization methods can't be used because they degrade mask performance, but supercritical carbon dioxide is gentler than other chemical disinfectants and works at relatively low temperatures.

“Hospitals have different resources and different needs,” Herrera says. “So, Sandia is working with medical practitioners on a wide range of approaches to help keep health care professionals protected. Together, we can find enduring solutions.”