Coronavirus Update: New Sites for N95 Decontamination and Reuse Processing

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, the American Hospital Association has worked closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal, state and local partners to respond to challenges related to availability of N95 respirators.

The Food and Drug Administration late March issued an emergency use authorization for the Battelle Decontamination System for decontaminating compatible N95 and equivalent respirators for reuse by health care personnel. On April 10, Battelle announced that decontamination is available at no charge to health care providers through a $400 million contract with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This message includes information on the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS)TM and how it could help your organization access additional quantities of N95 and equivalent respirators. Please share this email with your COVID-19 response team.

The Battelle Institute is operating sites across the U.S. to increase the inventory of N95 and equivalent respirators. At present, Battelle hydrogen peroxide gas decontamination units are available for rapid intake and reprocessing of up to 80,000 respirators per day.

Current Operational Sites:

• Illinois (Chicago)
• Massachusetts (Boston)
• New York (Brooklyn, Stony Brook)
• Central Ohio (also serving Michigan and Indiana)
• Washington (Seattle/Tacoma)

Coming Soon (expected to be operational April 24-30):

• California (Burbank, Fremont)
• Colorado (Denver)
• Connecticut (New Haven)
• Georgia (Atlanta)
• Maryland (Baltimore)
• New Jersey (Edison)
• Rhode Island (Providence)
• Texas (Houston, San Antonio)
• Washington, D.C.

The Battelle CCDSTM is grounded on an FDA study completed following a 2016 contagion. The study validated that CCDSTM technology successfully decontaminated N95 masks and that the mask could withstand processing 20 times with no degradation of filtration performance. Battelle is conducting additional research to validate that other materials, such as surgical masks and ventilator components, can withstand the process and continue to function as designed following multiple decontamination cycles.

This infographic highlights the step-by-step procedures to pack and ship compatible N95 respirators for decontamination. Health care professionals should take appropriate cautions and wear protective equipment when collecting, marking and packing contaminated masks. Hospitals and health systems should identify key chain of custody personnel and designate them as the team leads to ensure the procedures are followed. Team members may include supply chain, risk management, facility services, environmental services and infection prevention.

To learn more about how to enroll in this program, please contact Battelle directly by clicking here and complete the Battelle CCDSTM inquiry form. FAQs also are available.

This information is provided by the American Hospital Association as a service to its members. It may not apply to a reader’s specific situation and is not a substitute for application of the reader’s own independent judgment or the advice of a competent professional. The AHA does not make any guarantee or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained the documents. The AHA disclaims liability for personal injury, property damage, or other damages of any kind, whether special, indirect, consequential, or compensatory, that may result directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on this information.