Source strengths obtained with three clean air suits fulfilling the requirements for high performance in EN 13795-2:2019: An experimental study
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2023

Introduction: Clothing made from tight material worn by operating room staff adds to the effect achieved by ventilation in the effort to keep a low level of bacteria in the operating room air. The material used for clean air suits should be tested according to the standard EN 13795-2.
Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate whether there was a difference in protective capacity between three clean air suits made from materials fulfilling the requirements of EN 13795-2:2019 and designed as described in Annex E of the standard.
Materials and methods: Eight people (five men and three women) performed standardized movements in a dispersal chamber with a fixed supply air flow. Each person performed two test cycles with each clean air suit. Counts of colony-forming units (CFU) in the air were measured during testing and source strength was calculated for each test cycle. Results: The mean values of source strength for the three clean air suits were 1.4 CFU/s, 0.8 CFU/s and 0.7 CFU/s. The difference between the most and the least protective garment was statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Clean air suits made from material fulfilling the requirements for ‘high performance’ in the standard EN 13795-2:2019 might show a significant difference in protective capacity when comparing source strength. Tests for measuring of source strength in a dispersal chamber can be performed as suggested in Annex E of the standard, i.e. ‘The test person is male, 20–50 years old, with no visible skin disorder’.

microbial air cleanliness

clean air suit

surgical clothing

Source strength

Författare

Bengt Ljungqvist

Chalmers, Arkitektur och samhällsbyggnadsteknik, Installationsteknik

Berit Reinmüller

Chalmers, Arkitektur och samhällsbyggnadsteknik, Installationsteknik

Ann Tammelin

Karolinska Institutet

Textile Research Journal

0040-5175 (ISSN) 17467748 (eISSN)

Vol. 93 21-22 4902-4907

Ämneskategorier

Husbyggnad

DOI

10.1177/00405175231186330

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Senast uppdaterat

2024-03-07