When the N95 Masks Run Out
3D Printed Respirator
The making of a 3D Printed Respirator is now a reality. When I first heard about this and the doctor who created one, I was more than sceptical. Yet all it takes is an emergency of epic proportions to force the human mind and drive for survival to seek a solution. That’s exactly what an Orthodontists named Dr. Peter Luu did when he created a 3D Printed Respirator. Was it a quest for riches, or a desire to be famous? I don’t think so. I believe he looked at his young family then into the eyes of his child, and the will to survive resulted in his creation.
COVID-19 Pandemic
As the COVID-19 Pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization, what resulted was a decline in the human spirit. People began buying necessities of life and hoarding supplies. A virus that showed no mercy was running wild across our plant. As of April 4th, 2020, over 57,000 people have died from COVID-19, so survival instincts took over. It became evident very quickly the medical community was to become our new marines on the front line. They would be fighting a war against an invisible enemy. However, the needs to protect them stated vanishing very rapidly. Personal Protective Equipment was in very short supply.
N95 Masks
What was needed were N95 Masks. Doctors, Nurses, their support staff, paramedics and others would certainly fall sick if these critical safety devices were not replenished. With the major manufactures shifting into a higher gear, it would not be enough for the millions of medical warriors to all be protected. The N95 Mask was primarily considered a dust mask to those of us in the construction world. Cheap and disposable, yet now worth more than gold they were gone. Dr. Peter Luu saw this and that’s when he decided he couldn’t wait. Getting to work on the problem he created his own mask. A 3D Printed Respirator.
Request for a Fit Test
I first received an email that read “I got your contact via the BCDA website for testing of N95 mask. I do have an N95 Mask as well as a 3D Printed Respirator mask that I would like to test.” When I read this, I said to myself “He’s kidding, right?” but after a phone conversation I realized he was serious. This doctor has created a plastic respirator. How in the hell would it ever pass a Qualitative Respirator Fit Test. Achieving a 100% face seal will not happen and the Verifit Smoke I use will make him cough so hard he’ll puke in his mask.
Hesitation
With over 7 years of experience as a Professional Respirator Fit Tester, I told him, it wasn’t going to pass. I said he would have more fun blowing 35 bucks at the track. At this time due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I was fit testing medical personal all over Metro Vancouver and The Fraser Valley, and didn’t want to waist a Verifit Smoke Generator on a piece of plastic. Yet since he also wanted to fit test a N95 he had I agreed to come see him. With over 25 to 30 medical people a day I test, I wasn’t able to get over to Burnaby until Saturday April 4th.
First Impressions
As I walked into his office dragging my cart full of gear, I could see on the counter his invention. Then he explained how a perfect face seal will be achieved. For it wasn’t straight plastic touching the face, but a molded dental impression putty sculptured to the dimensions of each individual face. A single hole in the front was used as both an inhalation and Exhalation port. Next a new HEPA filter for a shop vac was cut slightly bigger, laid over the hole and held in place with a piece of a surgical mask and a large thick elastic band. Clearly not ANSI or CSA approved, yet some out of the box thinking sure was evident here.
The Test
As Dr. Luu donned his 3D Printed Respirator, I stud arms length away. Having already cracked the glass, my Verifit Smoke Generator was ready to go. The look of confidence on his face had me wondering. As I started the test, I instructed him to follow my commands. A series of head movements, exercise and communicational tests would be conducted. “Ok doc,
start by normal breathing” I said as I started to pump on the generator. Thinking to myself, here comes the fail as I next commanded “Ok Breath deep, big breaths of air”. No coughing as we then went to different head movements and having him bend at the wait and touch his toes.
When the Sunlight Strikes Raindrops
Having passed everything so far, the communication part would definitely crack the face seal. So, I handed him a piece of paper and asked him to read this. He looks at me saying” The rainbow Passage”? I smile and reply yup. I quickly explain to him it’s designed to mimic vocal sounds and jaw movements in most everyday conversations. In construction needing to wear a respirator is due to working in a hazardous atmosphere. With that, we never work alone. Always with a partner we need to communicate. If your mask separates from your face while talking, that’s a problem. So, we need to eliminate that issue prior to the actual event.
Final Results
Having come full circle, we end the test back at normal breathing. I must have looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging wide open. It Passed a Verifit Smoke Generated Qualitative Respirator Fit Test. I am completely impressed. At a time with COVID-19 is killing thousands, cupboards are bare with no more PPE N95 Masks, Dr. Peter Luu created his own 3D Printed Respirator. I filled out a wallet card for him, but I was also obligated to explain he couldn’t sell them or even give one away. To do so was inviting a boat load of legal ramifications if something went wrong.
Approval
With Due Diligence in mind, I explained that this being a prototype he is responsible for his own safety. A device such as this would need to undergo extensive testing by experts and engineers before he could legally allow any other to use this. An ANSI, CSA or another acceptable accreditation would need to be required. But damn, it really worked. With that all being said, at the end of the day we really do not know what’s going to happen tomorrow with this virus that’s killing our species. A day may very well come that higher risks will need to be taken in order for an individual to survive this virus.
Disclaimer
It has to be said that it is not recommended for individuals with out the proper criteria to attempt and create a device for resale or other use when it comes to Personal Protective Equipment. Only those persons with the proper skills, knowledge, and expertise should ever attempt to do these things. Each person is responsible for their own safety, and always ask yourself the most important thing prior to any such task, project or invention…..”What Could Go Wrong”
Medical Front Line Respirator Fit Tests
A message for all medical personnel on the front line. If you're wearing a Respirator or an N95 Mask because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, you need to make sure you have a 100% faceseal to your PPE. If you don't and your sneezed or coughed on, the moisture droplets might find their way past your mask. For those in the lower south west corner of British Columbia, call or email me for a Qualitative Respirator Fit Test. In other parts of the country and world, Please seek out a professional fit tester and make sure you are protected. Just wearing a mask is false sense of safety when dealing with COVID-19.
