Reply from:

     NEAL LANGERMAN

     (619) 990-4908

All,

I have not followed the sterilization discussion in detail. Has high temperature dry treatment been evaluated? I wonder if  5-10 minutes at 50-60 deg C, for instance, inactivate the virus without doing damage to the item?

Ernest Lippert

From: "James Keating" <james.k.keating**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2020 7:36 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] COVID-19 Question

Steve,

This Email started out as a well-intentioned response to your question started about irradiating N95 Respirators but alas it got out of hand. I have rambled on until this response degenerated to the obtuse dissertation on irradiation in general as well as COVID19.

If you took the time to read this monster you have the patience of a Saint.

Digression: I have always had an issue with the term irradiation when it come to food. Technically, to irradiate something involves  the transmutation of an isotope by expose it to neutron bombardment and typically producing one or more radioactive isotopes either on purpose to create source material or as an ancillary consequence of power generation using a nuclear reactor. On the other hand, exposing food to the gamma radiation from a powerful source or industrial x-ray machine does not make the food radioactive. However, it does kill bacteria, fungus or viruses. Perhaps we need a different term for this process to satisfy eggheads like me.

Irradiation of food requires a gamma source of very high strength e.g. hundreds of Curies of  ⁶⁰CO  along with expensive environmental, security, trained personnel and health physics safe guards. This would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming for merely zapping N95 masks. By the way, unless the laws have changed since I was last employed in the radiological safety discipline, irradiation of food is not legal in the United States. However, If we did irradiate fruit for example we could harvest at peak ripeness. Then we could ship it globally as delicious vine ripened fruit instead picking it green and letting ripen in the create and then on the shelves for weeks resulting the hard, mealy unappealing fruit I am usually stuck with. Instead of the tasty morsel we all deserve.

Let’s hear it for food irradiation, it is by far the best method of naturally preserving any food and without chemicals, pasteurization, freezing drying or a host of other methods that ruin the flavor and reduce nutritional value, while the germ killing efficacy of those primitive methods remains questionable.  We don’t know how long that frozen or refrigerated food sat in the hot sun on the loading dock or trailer waiting to be transferred to a hot store room and finally moved to the cooler or freezer when the employees finally got around to it -  perhaps a shift or even a whole day later. Appetizing thought.

Further digression: By the way, wearing an N95 respirator without tight fitting goggles may be a placebo. Fortunately the COVID19 virus appears to be a rather mild airborne pandemic. For example, last year (2018-19) the flu killed 80,000 Americans and was contracted by more than 500,000,000 people worldwide with half a million deaths.

The latest CDC estimate of the American fatality rate is about 1.5%. The doctors and CDC professionals on television seem to agree that at least 85% of the people who contract Covid19 will get over it and most with little or no symptoms, this computes to an adjusted or weighted rate of about two tenths of one percent (0.002) and almost all of those fatalities are very old and in poor health with existing health problems. .

Although there are some statistical outliers about 95% of fatalities are over 80 years old and/or have immune systems, COPD, Diabetes or a host of other serious health conditions. 99% of the fatalities in China and Italy were over 80 years old and most were in nursing homes already. Half the fatalities in Washington State were very old patients in the same nursing home.

For a bit of perspective: last 4,866 Americans (that we know of) died in the bath tub as a result of falls and drowning. Over 30,000 deaths in car accidents, about 30,000 suicides and 200,000 died from HID (Hospital Induced Death) as in MERSA and other diseases and mostly medical mistakes and misdiagnosis. Life itself is apparently a hazardous activity.

Perhaps those most at risk should take personal responsibility and self-quarantine and the rest of society should practice social distancing. If you must travel drive do not take crowed public transportation, avoid crowds, wash hands frequently, disinfect what you use, take care not to cross contaminate.

If you must fly (really must) wear a tight fitting for real half-face respirator (like a painters mask) with a P100 filter along with goggles. Carry and use germicide frequently. When you reach you destination decontaminate your bags with germicide. Wear the same getup in a cab or uber.

Hope for the best continue your life as best you can, stay away from any at risk people like Grandma and maybe you Mother in law.

If you develop any symptoms or think you have isolate and self-quarantine immediately and use the soon to be available test kits.

Yours Truly,

Jim Keating

Hello:

Has anyone considered irradiation of the N-95 respirators, using commercial food irradiation equipment?

I know a plan must be developed to collect, store, transport, etc. the respirators, but any thoughts on the concept?

Thanks,

Steve Rupkey

Now I know there is a current emergency and of course everyone is looking for an interim solution to extend life. To develop a procedure to decontaminate the N-95 you must be aware of not destroying the integrity( bleach???). We do know that the 91% isopropanol works without destroying the material. Then you must look at the way you are handling the used respirators as not to spread further contamination.  Next step is the storage before the next use (new baggie!)

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas