Welcome to your Pittcon 2021 Exhibitor Console!
The Exhibitor Console is your hub for all the information you need to know about exhibiting at Pittcon 2021!
Did I Leave My Mask in the Car? Using PY-GC/MS to Evaluate Face-mask Degradation
Friday, March 12, 2021: 3:25 PM - 3:45 PM
Speaker(s)
Description
Protective masks have become a household staple and an integral part of what we associate as the new normal. Masks are now being required to enter most public locations that remained open for essential business and have now become an indispensable part of our personal routine. With the mandate for facial covering, thousands of protective masks or facial coverings varying in size, shape, and quality flooded the US market for consumer purchase. Although masks are now readily available, there is not nearly enough information educating the everyday American on the quality and the safety of the different mask types. Along with the lack education on the different mask types, there is also a lack of education on the storage and care of the different protective masks. Masks are often left in accessible locations most frequently being the car. Are these different mask types vulnerable to degradation when left in the heat? The purpose of this study was to determine whether commercially available masks are affected by the sun and heat when left in a hot car. To accomplish this simulation, three different masks types were tested: cloth, surgical, and N95 medical grade mask. As these masks bake in the car, off gassing occurs due to the ambient heat. Volatiles leave the mask and fill the space within the car or worse, potentially inhaled when the user returns the mask to their face. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry was used to analyze these masks for the volatile and semi volatile breakdown. To more accurately simulate the breakdown of the mask inside of a vehicle, a pyrolyzer was used to subject the solid samples to above ambient temperatures. A UV irradiator exposed the samples in UV light during heating to simulate sun light. Each mask was heated and subjected to UV light for three different time frames to measure the difference in break down. The overall volatile and semi volatile profile was acquired as well as any additional break down from polymers to phthalates.
Additional Info
Keywords: Please select up to 4 keywords ONLY:
Chromatography - Other,Mass Analyzers,Safety,Polymers
For Technical Support with this webpage, please contact support.