The recent outbreak of the severe acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been requiring a worldwide massive use of barrier masks to reduce the spread of the pandemic. While the use of disposable face masks undoubtedly causes a major concern about environmental sustainability and ecological footprint, reusable barrier masks require standardized decontamination procedures before further use. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information about the effectiveness of such procedures and their actual effect on physicochemical and biological properties of fabrics and face masks materials. The present project aims at laying the foundations to bridge this gap through the review, selection and testing of suitable methods for the decontamination of barrier masks. The effect of decontamination procedures will be investigated from the macroscale down to the nanoscale to identify possible detrimental effects on devices and assess the most suitable methodologies. The maximum allowed decontamination cycles and, thus, the maximum number of reuses will be also verified. Face mask materials (supplied also by external partners of the project) will be analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) to evaluate the effect on the fabrics' morphology and chemical composition. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and advanced AFM based methods will be used to quantify morphological parameters at the scale of a single fiber and variations in the mechanical properties. The samples wettability will be examined by contact angle tests. Moreover, preliminary biological tests will be performed to obtain a first evaluation of the treatments effectiveness using bacterial bioburden tests and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Finally, with the contribution of external partners, microbiological and virological studies will be performed to assess the biological properties of face masks.
This proposal totally fits with the historical period we are living in, since it concerns topics connected with the public health emergency due to SARS-CoV-2, still ongoing. Despite in almost all EU countries the widespread of the infectious disease can be considered under control right now, in many countries all over the world the contagion is still growing exponentially. Moreover, the pandemic evolution pointed out that it is necessary to develop suitable strategies to find a good balance between economy and public safety, being conscious that we will be at risk till when prevention and treatment methods will be discovered and validated. Nowadays, the ubiquitous use of barrier masks is considered the simplest way to reduce the spread of virus, and as such we are all going to use them everywhere social distancing is difficult. However, as also recently stated by the president of the Italian Health Institute Brusaferro, the mostly diffused single-use masks give effective protection only up to 6 hours, but there is no evidence concerning the real possibility to disinfect them. The novelty of our proposal consists in contributing to face the increased need for masks and to develop suitable recycling strategies, with the double result of reducing the demand and the environmental impact. Dealing with the enhancement of effectiveness of barrier masks, our aims actually represent a cutting edge in the field of facing the pandemic trying to avoid a new lockdown. The information so far in literature, obtained when we had the urgency to calm down the effects of the pandemic in the acute phase, are undoubtedly a crucial starting point. However, having been collected with a solipsistic approach, they often focus on different and specific aspects, thus not guaranteeing a comprehensive perspective.
The systematic study that we aim to perform thus presents several advancements with respect to the state of the art and current knowledge and know-how in the field. In particular:
- The results are expected to represent an indispensable prerequisite to standardize the approach for efficient decontamination and reuse of barrier masks.
- We will obtain an unprecedented insight into the actual effects of decontamination procedures on fabrics for barrier masks from the micro- down to the nanoscale lever of the fabrics, using the investigation methods typical of nanotechnology and nanocharacterization fields.
- The protocol of analysis of the effects of decontamination will be easily applied to new fabrics to obtain long-lasting masks. Being connected with an industrial partner leader in the field of textile manufacturing, our studies at lab scale will be easily scaled-up: as a consequence, the results obtained within the project will have an enhanced impact on the society in terms of economics, public safety, as well as ecological footprint and sustainability of barrier masks.