Utilizing Salt-Coated Polypropylene Fabrics in Face Masks and Covers to Combat Respiratory Disease Transmission

Abstract

Infections in the respiratory system not only cause individual illness but can also spread to others and potentially develop into pandemics or epidemics. Various types of vaccines have been used to control the spread of pathogens. However, vaccine development has limitations due to time-consuming processes and costs. Therefore, surgical masks and respirators are widely used as the first means of protection once an outbreak begins or symptoms are identified. Yet, conventional masks have limitations such as single-use restriction, risk of contact transmission via contaminated surfaces, and concerns over biohazardous waste. Besides, attempts to decontaminate and reuse masks during shortages can significantly degrade their effectiveness. This situation necessitates the development of antimicrobial masks. Therefore, we have developed salt-coated fabrics that rapidly inactivate pathogens through non-specific mechanisms. Our research aims to assess the optimal stacking sequence of salt-coated fabrics, identify main mechanism behind the pathogen inactivation of salt-coated fabrics, demonstrate the pathogen inactivation efficiency against resilient pathogens, and analyze contact-based transmission of salt-coated fabrics compared to bare fabrics.