IChemE is working to determine how PPE might be decontaminated and safely reused.
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) was recently approached by NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide a proposal to review how personal protective equipment (PPE) might be decontaminated and safely reused, thereby helping to alleviate any potential PPE shortages and reduce the burden of disposal. As a result, IChemE members, working on a voluntary basis, have initiated three parallel projects, initially focusing on demonstrating the technical feasibility of decontaminating PPE.
Volunteers from the Institution's COVID-19 Response Team, working with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE), have already identified several different solutions to decontaminate PPE including the use of vaporized hydrogen peroxide. This methodology has been approved in other countries for decontamination purposes, plus it is already a recognized process for decontaminating equipment in hospitals and within the pharmaceutical industry.
"Whilst the idea of decontamination of PPE may seem strange, hospitals regularly sterilize certain surgical equipment for re-use and frequently clean items of linen. This approach is no different,” says Dr Nicholas Geary from the IChemE COVID-19 Response Team. “Our job as engineers is to ensure that this process is carried out correctly and consistently so that NHS staff feel safe and can continue their vital work without fear of running out of PPE."
The IChemE and ISPE team, which consists of over 20 volunteers, has been working with specialist consultants, equipment vendors and facility design companies to support the three projects.
For more information, visit: www.icheme.org
