Decontamination of SARS‐CoV‐2 contaminated N95 filtering facepiece respirators using artificial sun lamps

AIMS: Assess the feasibility of using light from artificial sun lamps to decontaminate N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) contaminated with SARS‐CoV‐2. METHODS AND RESULTS: FFR coupons or whole FFRs contaminated with 5 log(10) TCID(50) (target concentration) SARS‐CoV‐2 in culture media, simulated saliva, or simulated lung fluid were dried for 1–2 h, then exposed to light from tanning and horticulture lamps to assess decontamination. Exposed coupons and whole FFRs showed SARS‐CoV‐2 inactivation for all matrices tested. Furthermore, FFRs still met performance specifications after five decontamination cycles. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible that artificial sunlight from these sun lamps can be used to decontaminate FFRs provided the UV dose is sufficient and the light is unobstructed. Furthermore, decontamination can be performed up to five times without degrading FFR performance. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This research shows a proof of principle that artificial sun lamps may be an option to decontaminate SARS‐CoV‐2 on N95 FFRs. UV doses required for inactivation to levels below detection ranged from 4 to 37·8 J cm(−2) depending on the light source, virus matrix and FFR type.