Texas Tech Laboratory to Decontaminate Masks for Safe Reuse During COVID-19

April 24, 2020

N95 masks and other small items can be decontaminated up to 20 times.

Texas Tech University's Biological Threat Research Laboratory, part of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH), has partnered with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) to decontaminate some personal protective equipment (PPE), allowing it to be reused safely.

N95 masks and other small items can be decontaminated up to 20 times, substantially extending the lifespan of these items at a time when they are so badly needed and in such short supply, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The service is extended to all health care personnel, first responders and detention centers.

The move is the latest in a series of Texas Tech-TTUHSC initiatives to increase the availability of PPE. Texas Tech faculty and staff have collected more than 137,000 items, including 3,000 N95 masks, for donation to the TTUHSC and other regional health care facilities. The West Texas 3D COVID-19 Relief Consortium, a collaborative group of faculty from Texas Tech and TTUHSC, is working to create 3D-printed face shields and face masks for health care workers as well as ventilators and ventilator components.

The Biological Threat Research Laboratory was the first laboratory in the state of Texas to conduct COVID-19 testing.

tags: COVID-19, Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Research, Stories, Vice President for Research

Texas Tech University

A new era of excellence is dawning at Texas Tech University as it stands on the cusp of being one of the nation's premier research institutions.

Research and enrollment numbers are at record levels, which cement Texas Tech's commitment to attracting and retaining quality students. In fall 2020, the university achieved a goal more than a decade in the making, reaching a total student population of more than 40,000. In 2018, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education again placed Texas Tech among its top doctoral universities in the nation in the “Very High Research Activity” category. Texas Tech is one of 94 public institutions nationally and 131 overall to achieve this prestigious recognition.

Quality students need top-notch faculty. Texas Tech is home to a diverse, highly revered pool of educators who excel in teaching, research and service. The university strives to foster an environment that celebrates student accomplishment above all else. Texas Tech is large enough to provide the best in facilities and academics but prides itself on being able to focus on each student individually.

The momentum for excellence at Texas Tech has never been greater.

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TIEHH

The Institute of Environmental and Human Health was created in 1997 as a joint venture between Texas Tech and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center to assess the impact of toxic chemicals and diseases on the physical and human environments, including air, water, soil and animal life.

Researchers investigate elements in the environment, both those that are naturally occurring such as disease and those caused by humans, such as nuclear activity, pollution or chemical or bioterrorism, which negatively impact the environment. It is one of the few labs in the country dedicated to environmental toxicology.

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Office of Research and Innovation

The Office of Research and Innovation is tasked with facilitating excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity for Texas Tech students, faculty and staff. The office promotes an academic environment embracing creativity, curiosity, innovation, diversity, ethics and integrity.

Among other programs, the OR&I supports responsible and safe conduct of research, faculty development and recognition, interdisciplinary collaborations, externally sponsored research, partnerships with industry and community stakeholders, international research collaboration and the application of research for the benefit of society. The OR&I promotes a culture of creative expression, discovery, innovation and collaboration with the goal of advancing Texas Tech's status as an elite national research university.

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