Triosyn Resin Technology

1. What is Triosyn iodinated resin?
2. Why aren’t there more iodine containing products?
3. How is Triosyn technology different?

Disposable Respirators

1. What does PPE mean?
2. What is the difference between a medical mask, a standard or procedural mask, a standard NIOSH approved N95 disposable respirators, and a Safe Life/Triosyn NIOSH approved disposable respirator with built in antimicrobial protection?
3. When should NIOSH approved disposable respirators be worn?
4. What do the NIOSH ratings on the respirator packages mean?
5. Why would the “P” rating for strong resistance to oil be important?
6. Are Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators NIOSH approved?
7. Are Safe Life Triosyn disposable respirators certified in Europe?
8. Isn’t it enough to just filter out microorganisms?
9. Can Safe Life/Triosyn Respirators stop viruses?
10. How do Safe Life/ Triosyn disposable respirators differ from other disposable respirators?
11. How long can I wear a Safe Life/Triosyn respirator and still be protected?
12. How are Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators constructed?
13. Is the outside of a disposable respirator fluid resistant?
14. Why is there an activated carbon layer?
15. How important is respirator fit?
16. Is fit testing required?
17. Is it appropriate to reuse the disposable respirators?
18. Is it alright to share your disposable respirator with someone else?
19. How long can I store a Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirator for future use?

Avian Flu and Pandemic Preparedness

1. What is bird flu?
2. How can I prevent the spread of bird flu?
3. What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?
4. How many viruses does it take to cause a respiratory infection?
5. How would a pandemic affect business?
6. What should businesses do to prepare for a pandemic?

Triosyn Resin Technology

1. What is Triosyn iodinated resin?
Triosyn iodinated-resin is a unique patented technology that harnesses the broad spectrum, fast acting antimicrobial activity of molecular iodine in a stable demand-release delivery system.
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2. Why aren’t there more iodine containing products?
Iodine has long been known as an antimicrobial compound. It is still in widespread use today. Attempts to incorporate active molecular iodine into textiles and surfaces, however, have previously been met with disappointing results. Too often, the iodine would wash away, vaporize or oxidize prematurely.
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3. How is Triosyn technology different?
Utilizing a unique patented technology, molecular iodine (the active antimicrobial component) is bound within a stabilizing tri-iodide complex that is thermally fused into a polymeric-resin base. This unit preserves the molecular iodine while keeping it ready to deploy its active antimicrobial properties as needed.
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Disposable Respirators

1. What does PPE mean?
PPE is short for Personal Protective Equipment. Shoe covers, coveralls, gowns, gloves, eye protection, and of course masks and respirators are all different examples of PPE.
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2. What is the difference between a medical mask, a standard or procedural mask, a standard NIOSH approved N95 disposable respirators, and a Safe Life/Triosyn NIOSH approved disposable respirator with built in antimicrobial protection?
Medical masks come in two standard categories: surgical and procedure masks. Both are designed primarily to prevent microorganisms originating in the wearers nose and mouth from being expelled onto the patient or sterile field. They should also keep infectious droplets or splashes originating from the patient from striking the healthcare provider directly (if they are fluid resistant). However, they are not made to fit snugly and often are not very effective at filtering out very small infectious droplets. Surgical masks usually have ties instead of ear-loops, fit better than procedure masks and usually have a higher filtration rate. They are tested with bacterial aerosols that average 3 microns in droplet diameter.

N95 disposable respirators and Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators are intended to prevent the wearer from inhaling microorganisms. Both are approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). They fit close to the face and create a sealed environment with the intention of preventing bio-aerosols from reaching the wearer’s respiratory tract. In testing:
o N95 respirators must have a 95% success rate for preventing the penetration of particles as small as 0.30 microns. However, all viruses are smaller than that.
o Safe Life/Triosyn Disposable Respirators with built in antimicrobial protection have been proven in repeated studies to prevent the penetration of over 99.99% of challenge viruses. The barrier efficacy of every lot is verified by testing random respirators with live viral aerosol challenges. Viruses range in size from 0.023 to 0.28 microns; much smaller than the salt particles used to certify NIOSH approved respirators such as N95s. This is an incredibly important point as live viruses and other microorganisms are the threat, not salt particles. This critical information cannot be gleaned from salt tests.
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3. When should NIOSH approved disposable respirators be worn?
Respirators (disposable or otherwise) should be worn when faced with infections that can be spread by tiny droplets (smaller than 5 microns) that ride air currents, readily pass through isolation or surgical masks and have potentially severe consequences. Examples of airborne infections include tuberculosis, avian flu, SARS, shingles, smallpox, viral hemorrhagic fevers (like Ebola), anthrax spores, suspected bioterrorist activity, and even measles and chicken pox (when the individual in the vicinity is not immune to the airborne infectious viruses). They should also be worn when working disaster relief disease spread is suspected, but the entity is unknown, or when any unusual outbreak of unknown origin occurs with respiratory involvement. Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have only emphasized the use of disposable respirators when exposed to pulmonary tuberculosis, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), avian flu, (including symptomatic poultry), it is generally recognized that disposable respirators should be worn when exposed to any of the organisms listed above, all of which can gain entrance for infection via the human respiratory tract.
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4. What do the NIOSH ratings on the respirator packages mean?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency responsible for providing research, information, education, and training in the occupational health and safety fields. The following chart from the NIOSH website describes the various disposable respirator designations. If the respirator is fluid resistant it is addressed separately on the package label or in the technical literature. The filtration rating designation category in the chart is determined by the NIOSH disposable respirator certification test utilizing a 20 minute challenge with 0.3 micron salt particles.

Note: “P” designations are the highest rating in that the respirator qualifies at the same filtration levels (95, 99, 100) as the N and R categories but has the added strong resistance to oil and fat (diesel exhaust, vaporized fatty tissues, etc). Oil and fat fluids, aerosols, vapors, lubricants, etc., degrade the electrostatic mechanism of microbial capture of respirators unless the respirator is P rated (R is intermediary).
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5. Why would the “P” rating for strong resistance to oil be important?
Oil degrades the electrostatic attraction and capture mechanism in respirators, causing rapid loss of filtration efficacy. First responders and search and rescue teams answering calls where they may be exposed to liquid, mists or smoke of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel or animal fat while requiring the use of a disposable respirator to protect them from microbial infection should select “P” rated respirators. Individual burning or vaporizing fat and fatty tissues, in the presence of aerosolized microorganisms requiring the use of a respirator, should also select “P” rated respirators.
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6. Are Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators NIOSH approved?
Yes, all Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators are NIOSH certified at P95 or N95 rating or above and are more effective in stopping virus than other disposable respirators with the same designation.
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7. Are Safe Life Triosyn disposable respirators certified in Europe?
Yes Safe Life has both FFP2 and FFP3 certified disposable respirators.
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8. Isn’t it enough to just filter out microorganisms?
Trapping microorganisms is obviously a good thing. However, a disposable respirator that merely traps microorganisms is only doing half the job. Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators with built in antimicrobial protection not only trap more microorganisms, they go one step further by oxidizing their surface proteins and lipids, rendering them harmless.
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9. Can Safe Life/Triosyn Respirators stop viruses?
Triosyn’s proven technology with built in antimicrobial protection traps viruses and stops them cold. In independent tests conducted using the SARS virus at challenge exposure levels believed to mimic indoor airborne exposure, Safe Life respirators showed no viral penetration. Many tests repeat similar performance with different viruses and other microorganisms. However, no disposable respirator can guarantee that no viruses will ever find its way through or around a respirator; or that the wearer will not self-contaminate if poor removal techniques are used, fail to use appropriate hand hygiene or inadequately disinfect contaminated surfaces.
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10. How do Safe Life/ Triosyn disposable respirators differ from other disposable respirators?
Standard N95 respirators block particles (like dust, bacteria, and fungi) bigger than 0.3 microns with a minimum 95% efficiency. However, viruses are smaller than 0.3 microns! Influenza viruses, for example, ranges in size from 0.08 to 0.12 microns and cannot all be effectively captured by conventional NIOSH approved N95 disposable respirators. As proven in test after test, Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators stop and render harmless more than 99.99% of the microorganisms in the passing air stream.
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11. How long can I wear a Safe Life/Triosyn respirator and still be protected?
Triosyn disposable respirators have been tested at a wear time of up to forty-eight hours and proven to be as effective at the end of that time as at the beginning. However, forty-eight hours is a long time to wear a respirator!! Triosyn disposable respirators can be confidently worn for an eight-hour shift without reduction in effectiveness. Note: When you remove any respirator or mask, you should always consider the outer surface to be contaminated. Avoid self-contamination during removal, wash your hands before and after removal and frequently disinfect the area you are working in.
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12. How are Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirators constructed?
Triosyn resin is incorporated into a filtration layer in the respirator between two additional filtration layers. This tri-layer is enclosed on the outside by a fluid-resistant layer called a scrim, and on the wearer’s side, an activated carbon (charcoal) implanted layer, followed by an inner comfort layer next to the face.
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13. Is the outside of a disposable respirator fluid resistant?
Some are; some are not. Most N95 disposable respirators are not fluid resistant, leaving them susceptible to strike- through when hit with splashes or sprays of water, respiratory mucous, blood and other fluids. Strike-through means that as the fluid seeps through the respirator, it carries or wicks microorganisms through with it, ruining the protective barrier. Unfortunately, the wearer may be unaware of the breach. A mask that sheds fluids, thus preventing strike-through, can be more safely used in situations that first responders might find themselves in including rain, crash sites, earthquakes, floods, fire-fighting sites and attending patients with traumatic injuries or who are generating infectious aerosols.
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14. Why is there an activated carbon layer?
Activated carbon (also referred to as activated charcoal) has a remarkable capacity to absorb organic fumes and nuisance odors. As disaster crews, search and rescue teams, first responders, laboratory technicians, morticians and other personnel exposed to difficult aromas can attest, activated carbon filters allow them to focus on their tasks rather than be distracted by offensive fumes.
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15. How important is respirator fit?
Very important. If your respirator does not fit snugly, the effectiveness could be compromised. Safe Life T-5000 and T-5000V disposable respirators feature a foam gasket to ensure a good face seal. For proper fit, follow these simple steps:
1) Holding the respirator in your hand, form the clip over your finger to pre-mold the clip to fit over your nose.

2) Let the straps dangle to either side.

3) Position the lower straps over your head, around your neck, below the ears. Hold the respirator to your mouth and place the upper head strap over your head above the ears.

4) Adjust the head straps by pulling on the tabs to tighten them until the respirator fits comfortably.

5) With the fingers of both hands, form the nose clip over the nose ridge to fit snugly.

6) To check the seal, place both hands up around the mask without pulling on it and exhale sharply. If you can feel your breath with your hands, you need to tighten the straps to fit the respirator more securely.
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16. Is fit testing required?
OSHA requires fit testing for all employees required to wear a respirator to perform their job. For example, miners with specific responsibilities; healthcare providers attending patients with airborne infections such as TB, SARS, avian flu, etc; laboratory staff dealing with airborne infectious organisms; firefighters; paramedics if their responsibilities require the use of a respirator. Individuals who are not required to wear a respirator to perform their job, but choose to wear one, are not required to be fit tested. Refer to the OSHA website for fit testing methodology and updated requirements: www.osha.gov
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17. Is it appropriate to reuse the disposable respirators?
No. Disposable respirators are designed to be used once and then disposed of properly. In the event of a pandemic, bioterrist attack or virulent airborne microbial outbreak where extensive use of disposable respirators may deplete supplies, CDC and WHO recognize reuse may be necessary (e.g. during SARS) and have provided guidance to ensure careful removal and storage. CDC and NIOSH are currently conducting studies on mechanisms of self-decontamination and disinfection/sterilization of disposable respirators.
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18. Is it alright to share your disposable respirator with someone else?
No. Disposable respirator masks should never be shared.
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19. How long can I store a Safe Life/Triosyn disposable respirator for future use?
Five years in its factory sealed package.
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Avian Flu and Pandemic Preparedness

1. What is bird flu?
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a common designation for the Influenza A, H5NI virus, one strain of all the influenza viruses that infect birds. While these viruses do not ordinarily infect humans, influenza strains can mutate rapidly and potentially add additional target hosts – such as man. In the last decade, several cases of H5N1 infection have been reported in humans. According to the CDC, most of the bird flu cases in humans have been contracted through contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated by an infected bird’s nasal secretions, saliva, or feces. Person-to-person transmission has been documented but it is not the norm. However, scientists suspect that this virulent strain could mutate and present a significant threat.
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2. How can I prevent the spread of bird flu?
The CDC recommends avoiding contact with infected birds, practicing frequent hand washing, and disinfecting surfaces that may have been contaminated by infected birds. Poultry should be cooked to a minimum of 170° F. Eggs should be cooked such that they are not “runny”. The virus could become aerosolized – or take to the air in tiny droplets – which could then be breathed in. Thus, respiratory protection is important when working with symptomatic poultry. In addition to adequate respiratory protection, individuals who may be exposed the avian flu virus should wear goggles to protect the eyes from contamination, frequently wash hands with soap and water, or sanitize hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and disinfect exposed surfaces in the environment frequently.
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3. What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?
The symptoms of avian flu are often similar to those associated with the kind of flu that humans ordinarily get. They include fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. They may extend to diarrhea, eye infections, pneumonia and severe respiratory diseases.
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4. How many viruses does it take to cause a respiratory infection?
Not many, but it varies. It can take as few as one, though the number is usually estimated at 10 to 400 viruses. That number, called the infectious dose, depends on the health of the individual, the environment in which the contagion occurs, the way in which the virus is contracted, and the biological properties of the virus.
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5. How would a pandemic affect business?
The World Bank has estimated that global financial losses are anticipated to exceed 2 trillion dollars should (or when) a pandemic hits. If the spread of a pandemic influenza follows the infectivity rate of seasonal flu and maintains the current death rate of over 50% of its victims, Harvard University has recently advised the US government that the number of deaths in the United States could exceed 81 million.
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6. What should businesses do to prepare for a pandemic?
A corporation-wide pandemic or disaster plan incorporating provisions for a pandemic is a must for responsible businesses. The plan should be written; the scenarios evaluated for capability and potential for implementation success; potential obstacles identified and the solutions tested. Such a plan has many aspects. The key points:

• Business continuity: ensuring that your key business processes can continue to operate with fewer personnel, less travel

• Awareness and Education: Materials should be available ahead of time to familiarize all employees with pandemic procedures.

• Prevention: Have supplies stored in case of an emergency. Promote good health habits among employees, like social distancing, appropriate respiratory etiquette, and frequent hand-washing and other hygienic precautions. Be prepared from an IT and communications capability stand point to have as many personnel work from home as possible.

• Identify key activities that must continue in the work environment. List personnel that can perform those functions. Specify and train back-up personnel should key individuals become ill or are required to tend to family members.

• Identify and solve obstacles that may prevent success. For example, as may key functions may be required to work from home, will they be able to access files normally denied access from remote locations? Are their solutions ready to implement should normal decision makers be incapacitated – a plan B list. This portion takes a deeply engaged assessment of current practices and what-if scenarios. A continuity plan is essential.

• Vaccines and anti-viral drugs: Vaccines and anti-viral drugs may be scarce when a real pandemic hits; it may take some time for a vaccine specific to a new viral strain to be developed. It is important to prioritize vaccination of key personnel.

• It is also very possible that vaccines and anti-viral drugs will be unavailable or ineffective in preventing or treating pandemic strains of a pandemic influenza. Personnel should be trained on the proper use and removal of appropriate personal protective equipment use (disposable respirators or other respiratory protection, eye protection and possibly gloves) as well as appropriate hand hygiene practices and all the instructions for social distancing.

• Provide your employees with information on family preparedness. Being prepared at home not only better prepares staff to carry on essential job responsibilities should a pandemic, bioterrorist event or other disaster occur, but it also creates a corporate persona of caring, trust and employee enablement.

For more information, see: www.pandemicflu.gov