Empowering Safety: The Remarkable Synergy of PPE and Cutting-Edge Barrier Technology
Face masks have long been an essential part of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) routinely worn by healthcare professionals. In the past few years, the importance of these products has been brought into the spotlight. As you will be aware, even the general population was required to wear them in environments for much of the Covid period in New Zealand. Though face masks have and will continue to play an essential role in reducing risk of infection transmission in various settings, healthcare professionals should also look to decrease the risk of contaminating the product itself.
A studyi published in 2019 found that around 10% of face masks tested became contaminated with viral pathogens. It demonstrated that this risk increased with prolonged mask wear – especially over 6 hours – and greater clinical contact – seeing more than 25 patients per day. The research focused on the upper sections of the products only, so the figures could in fact be higher. Common viruses found were adenovirus, bocavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus.
Another studyii found bacterial contamination of 350 face masks out of the 471 tested. The researchers detected 9 bacterial species, both in the inner and outer layers of the masks. The most common of were Coagulase-negative staphylococcus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E.Coli and S. aureus.
These findings emphasise the importance of meticulous face mask protocols, which should be designed to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and keep professionals and patients/clients safe. However, there is another way to enhance the standard of protection implemented.
Innovative new technology has been developed to inactivate pathogens once they come into contact with the mask material. Singletto’s Oxafence Active Protection™ is unique in that it is able to inactivate pathogens upon contact using Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation (aPDI) technology. It relies on low concentrations of protective dyes commonly found across the healthcare sector, including Methylene Blue and Riboflavin. For user comfort and peace of mind, no expensive earth metals, quaternary ammonium, bleach or alcohol are incorporated. Materials pre-treated or embedded with Oxafence technology have repeatedly demonstrated ongoing inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, H1N1, and other viruses and bacteria.
So, how can you maximise these benefits in your own hospital, clinic or other healthcare/aesthetic setting? With the innovative ProGearÒ Antiviral Surgical Masks, which feature the proven Oxafence Active Protection™ technology from Singletto you can have total confidence in the quality of your PPE, safe in the knowledge that up to 99% of pathogens that come into contact with your face mask will be inactivated within just 5 minutes!iii
For added advantages, the ProGear masks are Level 3 fluid resistant and the 4-layer design with ear loops and patented Wave-FitÒ pre-bent, fog-reducing nosepiece optimises user comfort. To find out how you could give yourself added protection every day, visit the Product Page or Contact our team.
Disclaimer: This product is intended for export. Only available in New Zealand. It is not sold or offered for sale in the United States. This does not constitute promotion of products outside NZ.
i Chughtai, A.A., Stelzer-Braid, S., Rawlinson, W. et al. Contamination by respiratory viruses on outer surface of medical masks used by hospital healthcare workers. BMC Infect Dis 19, 491 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-4109-x
ii Yousefimashouf M, Yousefimashouf R, Alikhani MS, Hashemi H, Karami P, Rahimi Z, Hosseini SM. Evaluation of the bacterial contamination of face masks worn by personnel in a center of COVID 19 hospitalized patients: A cross-sectional study. New Microbes New Infect. 2023 Mar;52:101090. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2023.101090. Epub 2023 Jan 28. PMID: 36744172; PMCID: PMC9883076.
iii Tested against SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A/H1N1 in vitro. Oxafence starts working immediately in visible light but is specifically optimised for normal, indoor lighting environments where mask use/wear is common (typically ~500-700 lux). Oxafence inactivates 99% of SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 in 5 minutes and 99.9% in 15 minutes in ambient light (~500 lux). Any clinical event has not been evaluated. **For Peer-Reviewed Research, please visit: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (2021) and American Journal of Infection Control (2022).