ArticlemBio2020
Microwave-Generated Steam Decontamination of N95 Respirators Utilizing Universally Accessible Materials.
Article in mBio, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- Decontaminating N95/FFP2 masks for reuse during the COVID-19 epidemic: a systematic review.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2021Pooled it
- Mask decontamination methods (model N95) for respiratory protection: a rapid review.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Safety in the practice of decontaminating filtering facepiece respirators: A systematic review.American journal of infection control · 2021Pooled it
- The COVID-19 pandemic and N95 masks: reusability and decontamination methods.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2021Pooled it
- Personal protective equipment for reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection among health care workers involved in emergency trauma surgery during the pandemic: An umbrella review.The journal of trauma and acute care surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Exploring options for reprocessing of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (N95-FFRs) amidst COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.PloS one · 2020Pooled it
- Factors influencing bacterial viability on face masks and bactericidal effect of disinfection methods.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Engineered Electrically Heatable Face Masks for Direct Inactivation of Aerosolized Viruses on the Mask Surfaces.ACS ES&T engineering · 2024Article
- Article
- Evaluation of steam heat as a decontamination approach for SARS-CoV-2 when applied to common transit-related materials.Journal of applied microbiology · 2023Article
- Prophylaxis and Remediation for Future Pandemic Pathogens-(Lessons from a Post-COVID World).Microorganisms · 2022Article
- Mask disinfection using atmospheric pressure cold plasma.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2022Article
- Evaluation of the Microbiological Effectiveness of Three Accessible Mask Decontamination Methods and Their Impact on Filtration, Air Permeability and Physicochemical Properties.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Article
- Transmission modes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and implications for infection control: a review.Singapore medical journal · 2022Review
- Development and validation of technologies suitable for the decontamination and re-use of contaminated N95 filtering facepiece respirators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Journal of hospital infection · 2022Article
- Microwaves, a potential treatment for bacteria: A review.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
- The efficacy of different sanitizers against MS2 bacteriophage introduced onto plastic or stainless steel surfaces.Current research in food science · 2022Article
- What We Are Learning from COVID-19 for Respiratory Protection: Contemporary and Emerging Issues.Polymers · 2021Review
- Exploring Reusability of Disposable Face Masks: Effects of Disinfection Methods on Filtration Efficiency, Breathability, and Fluid Resistance.Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has caused a severe, international shortage of N95 respirators, which are essential to protect health care providers from infection. Given the contemporary limitations of the supply chain, it is imperative to identify effective means of decontaminating, reusing, and thereby conserving N95 respirator stockpiles. To be effective, decontamination must result in sterilization of the N95 respirator without impairment of respirator filtration or user fit. Although numerous methods of N95 decontamination exist, none are universally accessible. In this work, we describe a microwave-generated steam decontamination protocol for N95 respirators for use in health care systems of all sizes, geographies, and means. Using widely available glass containers, mesh from commercial produce bags, a rubber band, and a 1,100-W commercially available microwave, we constructed an effective, standardized, and reproducible means of decontaminating N95 respirators. Employing this methodology against MS2 phage, a highly conservative surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 contamination, we report an average 6-log
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.