University develops mobile decontamination unit for face masks

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many healthcare facilities all over the world were experiencing shortages of protective equipment necessary to deal with infected patients. In order to help solve this problem, a team of researchers from the Louisiana State University created a mobile decontamination unit that cleans protective equipment, allowing it to be reused.

The unit frame consists of a tall metal boxed like the ones that are commonly used in food service facilities to keep food warm. It was then equipped with racks, electronics and specialized UVC lamps to ensure that the device generated the amount of energy required to deactivate the virus. The box has a door and sliding mechanism for the masks to hang inside.

The decontamination unit, named “SaniTiger”, was developed to be small and portable, specifically designed to “hold and sanitize PPE masks through the use of ultraviolet, or UVC, light. The ultraviolet light allows medical staff to decontaminate the equipment quickly and effectively before reusing it”, explained Bill Gibson, coordinator of the Field Services Group for the LSU Coastal Studies Institute and one of the main contributors to the project.

The unit was tested at the LSU’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety, going through “a testing and use protocol to make sure that it works, and that it is used properly by hospital staff”, explained Michael Hooks, director of said Office.

Adapted from: https://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2020/04/17mdu.rh.php