COVID-19 RAPID RESPONSE: BIO-AEROSOLS IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused many farmers, rancher and food supply workers to lose income and jobs in rural areas. Furthermore, COVID-19 has claimed many lives especially amongst the elderly and low-income population. The goal of this USDA SBIR project is to provide a new type of personal protective equipment (PPE) that will directly and indirectly benefit rural populations by improving economic opportunities, increasing labor force participation, return lost jobs, improve food security, and reduce COVID-19 mortality in rural communities. Aerophase has filed provisional patents for innovative PPE that provides air filtration and total face protection from COVID-19 and other airborne hazards. The proposed USDA SBIR project integrates COVID-19 face and respiratory protection in a light-weight hard hat similar to that often used in harvesting and food processing. The goal is to provide impact head protection, pollen protection, and COVID-19 Bio-Aerosol protection for a persons entire head including a persons eyes and respiratory system. An important objective is to provide better protection from COVID-19 than any disposable respirator (N95, N99, N100), combined with goggles or visor. Unlike any similar hat or helmet integrated air filter systems the proposed innovations focus on very low purchase price, low operating cost, and safe operation in a labor intensive work environment. Another important objective is to provide better protection to people in the surrounding in case the Filter-Hat wearer has a respiratory infection such as COVID-19. One major SBIR project objective is to have savings from frequently disposed respirator masks (N95 masks, etc.) alone pay for the Filter-Hat that has a long life filter and low initial cost.