{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T07:56:05Z","timestamp":1761897365704,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,11]],"date-time":"2020-10-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1602374400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005632","name":"Narodowe Centrum Bada\u0144 i Rozwoju","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["POIR\/EFRR 2014-2020, Project No. 01.01.01-00-1104\/17-00"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["POIR\/EFRR 2014-2020, Project No. 01.01.01-00-1104\/17-00"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005632","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In addition to looking for effective drugs and a vaccine, which are necessary to save and protect human health, it is also important to limit, or at least to slow, the spread of coronavirus. One important element in this action is the use of individual protective devices such as filtering facepiece masks. Currently, masks that use a mechanical filter, such as a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, are often used. In some countries that do not have a well-developed healthcare system or in exceptional situations, there is a real and pressing need to restore filters for reuse. This article presents technical details for a very simple device for sterilization, including of HEPA polymer filters. The results of biological and microscopic tests confirming the effectiveness of the sterilization performed in the device are presented. The compact and portable design of the device also allows its use to disinfect other small surfaces, for example a small fragment of a floor, table, or bed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17207396","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,13]],"date-time":"2020-10-13T21:48:38Z","timestamp":1602625718000},"page":"7396","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["The Use of UVC Irradiation to Sterilize Filtering Facepiece Masks Limiting Airborne Cross-Infection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6167-6579","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wojciech","family":"Kierat","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Digital Systems, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Weronika","family":"Augustyn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Piotr","family":"Koper","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Heating, Ventilation and Dust Removal Technology, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9072-3306","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miroslawa","family":"Pawlyta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arkadiusz","family":"Chrusciel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MEXEO Institute of Technology, 47-225 Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7325-8094","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bernard","family":"Wyrwol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Digital Systems, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Toomey, E., Conway, Y., Burton, C., Smith, S., Smalle, M., Chan, X.-H., Adisesh, A., Tanveer, S., Ross, L., and Thomson, I. 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