TY - JOUR T1 - Mask Reuse in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Creating an Inexpensive and Scalable Ultraviolet System for Filtering Facepiece Respirator Decontamination JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - 582 LP - 595 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00218 VL - 8 IS - 3 AU - Rachel M. Gilbert AU - Michael J. Donzanti AU - Daniel J. Minahan AU - Jasmine Shirazi AU - Christine L. Hatem AU - Brielle Hayward-Piatkovskyi AU - Allyson M. Dang AU - Katherine M. Nelson AU - Kimberly L. Bothi AU - Jason P. Gleghorn Y1 - 2020/09/30 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/8/3/582.abstract N2 - Key MessagesUltraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) systems can be used to decontaminate filtering facepiece respirators that are in short supply during the current COVID-19 pandemic, but are costly and scarce.Custom-built UVGI systems can be easily and affordably created using common items found in hardware stores and within research institutions.Health care workers and administrators should consider this setup as a cost-effective option to combat personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages during the current pandemic.Academic institutions should consider fostering collaborations with local health care institutions to provide idle resources to front line health care workers facing PPE shortages. As the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates, not all hospitals and other patient care facilities are equipped with enough personal protective equipment to meet the demand in a crisis. Health care workers around the world use filtering facepiece respirators to protect themselves and their patients, yet during this global pandemic they are forced to reuse what are intended to be single-use masks. This poses a significant risk to these health care workers along with the people they are trying to protect. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has been validated previously as a method to effectively decontaminate these masks between use. However, not all facilities have access to the expensive commercial ultraviolet type C (UV-C) lamp decontamination equipment required for UVGI. UV-C bulbs are sitting idle in biosafety cabinets at universities and research facilities around the world that have been shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19. These bulbs may also be available in existing medical centers where infectious diseases are commonly treated. We developed a method to modify existing light fixtures or create custom light fixtures that are compatible with new or existing UV-C bulbs. This system is scalable; can be created for less than US$50, on site and at the point of need; and leverages resources that are currently untapped and sitting unused in public and private research facilities during the pandemic. The freely accessible design can be easily modified for use around the world. Health care facilities can obtain this potentially lifesaving UVGI resource with minimal funds by collaborating with research facilities to obtain the UV-C meters and UV-C bulbs if they are unavailable from other sources. Although mask reuse is not ideal, we must do what we can in emergency situations to protect our health care workers responding to the pandemic and the communities they serve. ER -