posted on 2024-01-09, 17:06authored byPearl Abue, Nirvan Bhattacharyya, Mengjia Tang, Leif G. Jahn, Daniel Blomdahl, David T. Allen, Richard L. Corsi, Atila Novoselac, Pawel K. Mistzal, Lea Hildebrandt Ruiz
A rise in the disinfection
of spaces occurred as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic as well as an increase in people wearing facial
coverings. Hydrogen peroxide was among the recommended disinfectants
for use against the virus. Previous studies have investigated the
emissions of hydrogen peroxide associated with the disinfection of
spaces and masks; however, those studies did not focus on the emitted
byproducts from these processes. Here, we simulate the disinfection
of an indoor space with H2O2 while a person
wearing a face mask is present in the space by using an environmental
chamber with a thermal manikin wearing a face mask over its breathing
zone. We injected hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the space and utilized
a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) to measure the primary
disinfectant (H2O2) and a Vocus proton transfer
reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Vocus PTR-ToF-MS) to measure
the byproducts from disinfection, comparing concentrations inside
the chamber and behind the mask. Concentrations of the primary disinfectant
and the byproducts inside the chamber and behind the mask remained
elevated above background levels for 2–4 h after disinfection,
indicating the possibility of extended exposure, especially when continuing
to wear the mask. Overall, our results point toward the time-dependent
impact of masks on concentrations of disinfectants and their byproducts
and a need for regular mask change following exposure to high concentrations
of chemical compounds.