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Testing Surgical Face Masks in an Emergency Context: The Experience of Italian Laboratories during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Francesco Tessarolo

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Giandomenico Nollo

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Devid Maniglio

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Marta Rigoni

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Luca Benedetti

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Fabrizia Helfer

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Ivan Corradi

    (LASS-TN-Covid-19 Laboratorio Associato per la Verifica di Dispositivi di Protezione, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Trento and Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy)

  • Luigi Rovati

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena—Italy and Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, 41037 Modena, Italy)

  • Alberto Ferrari

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena—Italy and Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, 41037 Modena, Italy)

  • Mattia Piccini

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena—Italy and Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, 41037 Modena, Italy)

  • Luca Accorsi

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena—Italy and Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, 41037 Modena, Italy)

  • Elena Veronesi

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena—Italy and Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, 41037 Modena, Italy)

  • Aurora Cuoghi

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Enzo Ferrari, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena—Italy and Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, 41037 Modena, Italy)

  • Salvo Baglio

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Nunzio Tuccitto

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Stefania Stefani

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Stefano Stracquadanio

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Filippo Caraci

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Antonio Terrasi

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Alessia Tricomi

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Mario Musumeci

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
    INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-Italia-Sicilia-Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Andrea Miraglia

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
    INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-Italia-Sicilia-Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Giacomo Cuttone

    (AntiCovidLab, Torre Biologica, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
    INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-Italia-Sicilia-Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy)

  • Sofia Cosentino

    (Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

  • Carlo Muscas

    (Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy)

  • Luca Agostino Vitali

    (UNICAM- U-TYM Lab Microbiologia—ex Dip. Biologia, Università di Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy)

  • Dezemona Petrelli

    (UNICAM- U-TYM Lab Microbiologia—ex Dip. Biologia, Università di Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy)

  • Leopoldo Angrisani

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Roberta Colicchio

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Andrea D’Anna

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Ivo Iavicoli

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Gianluigi De Falco

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Francesco Di Natale

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Ernesto Di Maio

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Paola Salvatore

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Fabiana Quaglia

    (Presidio Tecnico/Scientifico di Ateneo per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Centro Servizi Metrologici e Tecnologici Avanzati, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80124 Naples, Italy)

  • Marina Mingoia

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

  • Paolo Castellini

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

  • Paolo Chiariotti

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

  • Serena Simoni

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

  • Luigi Montalto

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

  • Alessia Baleani

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

  • Nicola Paone

    (LABC19 Centro di Ricerca e Servizio per l’Emergenza COVID-19, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy)

Abstract

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a broader use of masks by both professionals and the general population. This resulted in a severe worldwide shortage of devices and the need to increase import and activate production of safe and effective surgical masks at the national level. In order to support the demand for testing surgical masks in the Italian context, Universities provided their contribution by setting up laboratories for testing mask performance before releasing products into the national market. This paper reports the effort of seven Italian university laboratories who set up facilities for testing face masks during the emergency period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Measurement set-ups were built, adapting the methods specified in the EN 14683:2019+AC. Data on differential pressure (DP) and bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of 120 masks, including different materials and designs, were collected over three months. More than 60% of the masks satisfied requirements for DP and BFE set by the standard. Masks made of nonwoven polypropylene with at least three layers (spunbonded–meltblown–spunbonded) showed the best results, ensuring both good breathability and high filtration efficiency. The majority of the masks created with alternative materials and designs did not comply with both standard requirements, resulting in suitability only as community masks. The effective partnering between universities and industries to meet a public need in an emergency context represented a fruitful example of the so-called university “third-mission”.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesco Tessarolo & Giandomenico Nollo & Devid Maniglio & Marta Rigoni & Luca Benedetti & Fabrizia Helfer & Ivan Corradi & Luigi Rovati & Alberto Ferrari & Mattia Piccini & Luca Accorsi & Elena Vero, 2021. "Testing Surgical Face Masks in an Emergency Context: The Experience of Italian Laboratories during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-19, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:1462-:d:493441
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keely Shaw & Scotty Butcher & Jongbum Ko & Gordon A. Zello & Philip D. Chilibeck, 2020. "Wearing of Cloth or Disposable Surgical Face Masks has no Effect on Vigorous Exercise Performance in Healthy Individuals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-9, November.
    2. Wasim Ahmed & Josep Vidal-Alaball & Francesc Lopez Segui & Pedro A. Moreno-Sánchez, 2020. "A Social Network Analysis of Tweets Related to Masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-9, November.
    3. Jingyuan Yu & Yanqin Lu & Juan Muñoz-Justicia, 2020. "Analyzing Spanish News Frames on Twitter during COVID-19—A Network Study of El País and El Mundo," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-12, July.
    4. Ka-Po Lee & Joanne Yip & Chi-Wai Kan & Jia-Chi Chiou & Ka-Fu Yung, 2020. "Reusable Face Masks as Alternative for Disposable Medical Masks: Factors that Affect their Wear-Comfort," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-16, September.
    5. Compagnucci, Lorenzo & Spigarelli, Francesca, 2020. "The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
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    1. Tiziana Petrachi & Francesco Ganzerli & Aurora Cuoghi & Alberto Ferrari & Elisa Resca & Valentina Bergamini & Luca Accorsi & Francesco Burini & Davide Pasini & Gaelle Françoise Arnaud & Mattia Piccini, 2021. "Assessing Biocompatibility of Face Mask Materials during COVID-19 Pandemic by a Rapid Multi-Assays Strategy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-11, May.
    2. Silvia Chiera & Alessandro Cristoforetti & Luca Benedetti & Giandomenico Nollo & Luca Borro & Lorenzo Mazzei & Francesco Tessarolo, 2022. "A Simple Method to Quantify Outward Leakage of Medical Face Masks and Barrier Face Coverings: Implication for the Overall Filtration Efficiency," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-20, March.

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