In summary, ozone is a good candidate for surgical mask disinfection however, the effectiveness of using ozone for disinfection depends on the concentration and time of treatment. However, it is highly unstable and has a short half-life and is thus easy to remove. The downside is that ozone can cause skin damage and respiratory irritation, which means it must be used with caution. Several studies have shown that ozone can kill viruses on hard-to-reach surfaces, including the fabric structure of face masks, over a period of time and that ozone kills 99% of airborne viruses in a period of 15 min. It undergoes oxidation with organic substances and can disinfect any inorganic substance in water and the air with a stronger sterilization effect on pseudoviruses, indicating that it can achieve coronavirus disinfection. Ozone is a gas that can spread over an area faster than regular liquid spraying. Ozone is a molecule made up of 3 oxygen atoms (O 3) with an unstable structure that has the ability to undergo oxidation reactions, making it toxic to microorganisms. However, the optimal conditions for the disinfection of surgical masks for reuse are still understudied. Effective methods for the industrial disinfection of face masks include the use of hydrogen peroxide vapour, ultraviolet radiation, moist heat, dry heat, and ozone gas. Reuse of a surgical mask is not recommended but has occurred during the recent high usage demands. Masks have been recommended as a potential PPE to address the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and other airborne pathogens. In addition, there are strains of fungi that can be transmitted through the air in the form of mycelium, mould, and spores such as Aspergillus spp., leading to hypersensitivities such as allergy and asthma. These pathogens may also contaminate medical personnel. Low immunity may cause infectious diseases in wound areas, surgical wounds, and lung infections from airborne transmission within hospitals or from other sources of contamination. In addition to the coronavirus, bacteria or fungi can also be spread by exposure to air and environmental contaminants, including Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which are common bacteria that cause infections in humans. The pathogen can survive on various surfaces for even longer periods depending on the type of material. Infected secretions can remain in the air for several hours. The virus spreads between people through small liquid particles due to coughing, sneezing, speaking, or even breathing. Citizens, especially health care workers, are at risk of infection. The current situation amid the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused economic recession as well as mental health crises around the world. This study provided the conditions for using O 3 (500–2000 mg/L) to reduce pathogens and disinfect contaminated surgical masks, which might be applied to reduce the inappropriate usage of reused surgical masks. Using O 3 at 2000 mg O 3/L or 500 mg O 3/L in a 56 m 3 room is efficient for the disinfection of all pathogens on the surface of reused surgical masks. Using a lower-dose O 3 generator at 500 mg O 3/L in 0.456 m 3 provided lower efficiency, although the difference was not significant. By using 2000 mg/L O 3 in a 1.063 m 3 box, the growth of bacteria and fungi was found to be completely inhibited on surgical masks after 30 min and 2 h of treatment, respectively. The viral killing effect was increased over time and reached more than 95% after 2 h of incubation in both conditions. The virucidal effects were 82.99% and 81.70% after 15 min of treatment with 2000 mg/L O 3 at 1.063 m 3 and 500 mg/L O 3 at 0.456 m 3, respectively. O 3 generators, a modified PZ 2–4 for Air (2000 mg O 3/L) and a modified PZ 7 –2HO for Air (500 mg O 3/L), were used together with 1.063 m 3 (0.68 × 0.68 × 2.3 m) and 0.456 m 3 (0.68 × 0.68 × 1.15 m) acrylic boxes as well as a room-sized 56 m 3 (4 × 4 × 3.5 m) box to provide 3 conditions for the disinfection of masks contaminated with enveloped RNA virus (10 5 FFU/mL), bacteria (10 3 CFU/mL) and fungi (10 2 spores/mL). This study aims to evaluate the effects of O 3 for pathogen disinfection on reused surgical masks in various conditions. Due to the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, surgical masks are in high demand, with some needing to be reused in certain regions. Ozone (O 3) is an effective disinfectant agent that leaves no harmful residues.
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