Decontamination wipe could help coronavirus cleanup

A decontamination wipe invented by a Texas Tech University researcher to clean up toxic agents also could clean surfaces contaminated with the coronavirus.

FiberTect™ is a three-layer, nonwoven wipe that features an activated carbon core, sandwiched between absorbent top and bottom layers.

“It is widely used as the primary dry decontamination method in hospitals and ambulances,” said Corey Collings, a training specialist for First Line Technology, which markets FiberTect. “Hospitals use it in bulk and in rolls, and ambulances use it in a kit called the FastGrab to do immediate decontamination of patients contaminated with a wide variety of substances.”

FiberTect was invented by Seshadri Ramkumar, a professor of chemical countermeasures and advanced materials in the Texas Tech Department of Environmental Toxicology. He says the wipe’s structure is effective in containing bodily fluids, like saliva and mucus, through which viruses could be transmitted. Its activated carbon also can absorb particles transmitted in vapor phase through the air.

As a wipe or mitt, the product holds potential for cleaning in settings where transmission of the COVID-19 virus, or coronavirus, is a paramount concern. “It can be used to clean wet surfaces contaminated with bodily fluids,” Ramkumar said. “Highly porous carbon in the structure can trap the vapors and aerosols in which microbes are contained.”

The product has previously been used successfully by the U.S. military to decontaminate both personnel and equipment, for oil spill cleanup during the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and by emergency response teams across the country in dealing with highly dangerous chemical substances, including Fentanyl. 

“The advantage is that it has multiple uses,” said Amit Kapoor, president and CEO of First Line Technology. “Many departments have bought into decontamination technology solely because of the Fentanyl epidemic. However, once they have the equipment, like FiberTect, they find that it is effective at removing a broad range of dangerous substances.”