If lack of PPE for Primary Head Protection is not acknowledged, emergency responders and healthcare workers will again be devastated in the next disaster.

Facemasks are not reliable for respiratory protection; however, they are the best for containing a wearer's saliva droplets.  The problem with masks is leakage because faces vary in shape and nose-bridge height.  There are many gaps between a wearer's face and the edges of a flat facemask. Also, their elastic ear-loops are either too loose or too tight for proper fit. Masks often fall from the nose to cover only wearer's mouth or even hang under the chin protecting nothing.  Meanwhile, the elastic straps of the rigid dome-shaped masks have to be uncomfortably tight to seal at all. Even then, the mask moves and leaks when the wearer talks or sweats.

As a material scientist with over 20 years’ experience in developing protective equipment, I have seen no low-cost cure to this leakage problem. It is fair to conclude that workers cannot rely on disposable masks for respiratory protection. However, the convenience and usefulness of masks to contain saliva droplets are well recognized. They are useful in public places and in congested environments- meetings, concerts, conventions, stadiums, lines, buses, trains, airports etc. I am offering free prototypic samples of my Soft-stretch masks at our E-store.

The PPE Hoods are the critical component missing in conventional PPE: For effective primary head protection in workplaces, I have devoted my efforts in engineering the soft-stretch hoods made of latex-free elastic nonwoven fabrics which are converted from the same material for making surgical and N95 masks.  Treating a piece of woven textile for multiple functionalities is difficult and expensive, if not impossible. However, by bonding individually treated elastic nonwoven fabrics into a multi-layer structure, protective apparel can be economically made with various combinations of functionalities while maintaining softness and breathability. I have proved this concept by manufacturing a series of soft-stretch hoods (Dust Hoods, Spray hoods, UV Hoods, and BioSafety Hoods). In the product pipeline are Oil Repellant Hoods, Hi-Visibility Hoods, Camouflage Hoods, and Flame Retardant Hoods.

Overlooking primary head protection could be the result of a lack of proper products. “PPE Hoods” is not listed as a category or a product in current industrial safety supplies and federal or state procurement systems. I had to hawk sales by mailing hood sample to user companies and individual contractors.Over many years, I have accumulated over 2,000 repeat customers from more than 15 industries including companies in Belgium, Canada, China, Mexico, and UAE. In the recent Covid-19 pandemic, my Biosafety hoods have received great market awareness resulting in thousands of email inquiries and thousands of visits to our website. If the desire of “Making PPE in the US” is for real, I shall be very busy for many years to come.

The innovative advantage of my Soft-stretch hoods is “Comfort” which is defined by (1) soft form-fit to securely cover the entire head, face, and neck without restricting peripheral vision, head movement, and wearer’s mobility and (2) easy breathability to keep heads cool for extended wear.

On the contrary, the shortcomings of alternative head coverings are the following:

• A.Because the materials were stiff, the head coverings (such as nonwoven and Tyvek hoods) had to be made baggy to cover different head sizes. Not only did that create too much gapping to provide an effective barrier, they also did not fit well even when incorporated with elastic components.

• B.Coverall hoods are a common alternative; however, they quickly tire the wearer because of restricting head movement and mobility. They have been prohibited in confined spaces and on high structures. CDC guidelines also recommended that healthcare workers wear coveralls without an incorporated hood.

• C.PAPR hoods are excellent for covering the entire head; however, PAPR systems are expensive and they are inconvenient/cumbersome for many routine jobs.Further, the decontamination after each use is an additional tedious job.Consequently, workers are left (or elect) to expose their heads and faces in infection-risk environments or to harmful substances during their daily jobs.

In the recent Covid-19 epidemic, nurses and doctors are getting infected. This time, by the hundreds.  It is too convenient to place blame on the shortage of PPE; but, that does not acknowledge the lack of progress in improving design of conventional PPE over the last six years. 

Here is the problem:

“Primary Head Protective Hoods” has been the critical component missing in conventional PPE.

Take a look at the photo on current FEMA homepage amid Covid19 pandemic. It obviously does not make sense that our healthcare workers fully cover their bodies in protective gear but leave their heads, faces, and necks totally exposed!

The lack of proper (practical, economical, and convenient)PPE hoods has been a problem in many industries. Fundamentally, there was no suitable material available for making head coverings that conformed to the contours of the wearer’s head and face. Because the materials were stiff, the head coverings (such as nonwoven and Tyvek hoods) had to be made baggy to cover different head sizes. Not only did that create too much gapping to provide an effective barrier, they also did not fit well even when incorporated with elastic components.

Coverall hoods are a common alternative; however, they quickly tire the wearer because of restricting head movement and mobility. They have been prohibited in confined spaces and on high structures. CDC guidelines also recommended that healthcare workers wear coveralls without an incorporated hood. PAPR hoods are excellent for covering the entire head; however, PAPR systems are expensive and they are inconvenient/cumbersome for many routine jobs. Further, the decontamination after each use is an additional tedious job. 

Consequently, healthcare workers are left (or elect) to expose their heads and faces in infection-risk environments during their daily jobs.

I am the scientist who invented Latex-free Elastic Nonwovens. My Elastic Nonwoven Fabrics are the long-awaited breakthrough materials that give an elastic structure while maintaining the breathability and barrier functionality of nonwoven fabrics (which are commonly used for making surgical and N95 masks). The elasticity enables the making of protective apparel that are form-fitting on the wearer and becoming an isolation layer next to the skin. 

The Latex-free Nonwovens Elastication Technology are co-patented with DuPont. There is no parallel technology and no similar or lower cost elastic material. DuPont Engineered Elastic Nonwovens™ made their debut at the 2007 IDEA Conference and were creating many successes before the 2008 economy collapse. VitaFlex LLC was established to continue the project of elastic nonwovens. In addition to processing elastic nonwovens, a proprietary converting method was added to manufacture soft-stretch hoods from the elastic fabrics.

Multi-functional Fabrics for Protective Hoods: Treating a piece of woven textile for multiple functionalities is difficult, if not impossible. However, by bonding individually treated elastic nonwoven fabrics into multi-layer structures, protective apparel can be economically made with various combinations of functionalities while maintaining a comfortable, soft form-fit and easy breathability. We have applied this concept in manufacturing a series of soft-stretch hoods (Dust Hoods, Spray hoods, UV Hoods, and BioSafety Hoods) to meet the safety requirements of various industries. 

VitaFlex’s Biosafety Soft-stretch hoods are a successful example of an innovative PPE for primary head protection with proven marketability and quality superiority. Although there is no regulation or requirement for head coverings certification from any agencies,the FDA guiding principles for surgical masks were followed throughout the development process. 

Our Biosafety Soft-stretch hoods are an innovative PPE engineered for blocking micron-sized particles, viscous fluids, and liquid splashes. Our hoods have been useful for stopping short-distance and contact transmission in infection-risk environments and praised by doctors and nurses in many hospitals including several VA medical centers.

The innovative advantage of our Biosafety Hoods is “Comfort”:

• Soft Form-fit to securely cover the entire head, face, and neck without restricting peripheral vision, head movement, and wearer’s mobility.
• Easy Breathability to keep the head cool for extended wear.

Our hoods are replacing facemasks in many low-risk work environments. They can also be worn under a mask or a full-face respirator to keep the entire head covered while providing an additional layer of isolation and a soft cushion of comfort and to reduce gaping from respirator movement due to work or sweat.

Without our Biosafety Hoods, personnel are not prepared for and are vulnerable to epidemic outbreaks or disasters. However, “Primary Head Protection" or "PPE Hoods” is not a product category or product name found in the current FEMA, federal or states procurement systems. Consequently, we have been unable to list our hoods and make them available to emergency responders.

The Problems with Hooded Coveralls -

Unbearably hot and Restricted Wearer’s Head Movement and Mobility

The disposable coveralls have been popular in shielding against contaminants in workplaces (in environmental remediation, aftermath cleanup, and infection prevention). The classic design has an integrated hood to cover the back of the head and with its elastic edges cover the upper part of forehead. While working, the hood easily pulls away from the wearer’s head. If worn with a full-face respirator, duct tape has to be used to attach its edges to the face shield of the respirator. This worsens the problem of restricting head movement.Some new designs have a larger hood to enable wrapping around the wearer’s face for more protection. However, it severely restricts head movement and mobility. It is more difficult for the wearer to bend their neck or turn their head and quickly causes exhaustion.The heat and humidity build up quickly cause anxiety and dizziness. For reference, wearing hooded coveralls is prohibited when working in confined spaces or on high structures. The updated CDC guidance also recommends the use of coveralls without integrated hoods in epidemic outbreaks.

Workers’ bodies often come in contact with or are held tightly against work objects. To isolate contaminants in liquid or viscous forms, the disposable coveralls need to be made of Tyvek or membrane-laminated or coated nonwoven fabrics to create impermeability. These materials are not breathable and make the wearers hot. On the contrary, workers’ heads and faces rarely ever contact work objects; rather, the heads always stay at a higher position and at a distance.Since heads are more sensitive to heat and humidity, the materials used for making the hoods should be different from that of the body covering. It should have good breathability and need less liquid impermeability. VitaFlex’s Latex-free Elastic Nonwoven Fabrics are the long-awaited breakthrough material that gives an elastic structure while maintaining the breathability and barrier functionality of nonwovens. This enables the making of protective hoods that are soft and stretchy to fit comfortably and securely on the wearer’s head.

The Solution: The practical solution is to wear our soft-stretch hoods with a high-collar coverall suit. Our hoods keep the head protected and cool. They also allow freedom of head movement and wearer mobility. To complete full coverage of the head, the donning sequence is to put on our hood first, followed by goggles to protect the eyes.

In extreme situations, powered air purification respirator (PAPR) provides the most complete coverage for the head. Wearing our hood under the PAPR or hazmat hood provides continuous protection after removal of the contaminated suit. Our Biosafety hoods should be the first PPE put on and the last removed.

I learned nonwoven manufacturing twenty-five years ago. I started by co-managing two polypropylene spunbonded nonwoven lines. My graduate study was not in fiber engineering; rather in plant physiology with intensive work on protein purification and some gene cloning and sequencing.To benefit my research, I took courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, and immunology. This academic training has enabled me to continue to follow and understand articles in medical journals, epidemics reports, and CDC posting. What I have learned has allowed me to develop effective protective apparel.

In the summer of 2014, I was developing an early version of Biosafety hoods for crime scene cleanup without noticing the worsening Ebola situation in west Africa. That September, medical workers in the US contracted the Ebola virus while caring for an infected patient. Subsequently, more than 3,000 purchase orders were received in a three-week period. With limited inventory, we had to prioritize our supply to VA hospitals and the military. Still, we sold out all our hoods before the end of October. In the following years, I enhanced our Biosafety hoods with functionality of blocking blood splashes. In late fall of last year, another advanced version with alcohol repellency was added. However, before the completion of an expansion in 2021, the current capacity may only last for a few months in dealing this latest outbreak.

Our BioSafety Hoods are engineered to provide effective protection with an innovative advantage of “COMFORT”- (1) soft form-fit tosecurely cover the entire head, face and neck without restricting head movement and wearer’s mobility. (2) easy breathability for extended wear.

Airborne particles (without high pressure force) cannot penetrate the structures of our Biosafety hoods. Meanwhile, the ultrafine gaps between fibers allow body heat and perspiration to escape which keeps the head cool. Workers can comfortably wear our hoods all day for continuous protection.The design of our full-cover hood forms an air-pocket around the nose and mouth to serve as a facemask. The dense, 12 layer, fiber-composite structures were engineered to filter 95% of bacteria (ASTM F2101) and 95% of 1-micron particles (ASTM F2299).The efficiency of filtering submicron particulates is even higher (>99% for 0.1 micron) because submicron particulates are mostly attracted by static and attach more tightly to the surface of fibers.

The structures of our Biosafety hoods are qualified as level 1 liquid barrier (ASTM F1862) engineered to block body fluids or blood splashes, which is for protecting medical workers in conducting surgical operations such as intubation.To provide comfortable breathability for extended wear, the delta P was kept under 4 mm H₂O/cm². For reference, the delta P of high filtration surgical masks and disposable N95 masks is around 5 and above 20, respectively.

The suggested donning sequence is to put on our hood first, followed by goggles to protect the eyes. It is essential to select goggles that fit the wearer’s face curve for sealing around the wearer’s nose and allowing it to press firmly on the wearer’s nose bridge.Our hoods can be worn comfortably under a face mask or full-face respirator. In case the mask/respirator moves, our hood can provide an additional layer of barrier for continuous protection.

In extreme situations when PAPR (powered air purification respirator) is required, wearing a Biosafety hood under the PAPR or hazmat hood provides continuous protection after removal of the contaminated suit. Our Biosafety hoods should be the first PPE put on and the last removed.

Our hoods are also effective in contaminants control when worn by infected patients. Double layering our hoods is recommended to contain spittle expelled from talking, coughing and sneezing.

Our hoods are very affordable, $2.70-$3.50 each. They are well constructed and reusable. They can be conveniently sterilized by soaking in commercial bleach concentrate for 5 minutes followed by rinsing them in clean water and airdry or in dryer with low heat for 10 minutes. To ensure the durability our hoods, we have tested washing them in industrial washing machine over 15 cycles of 30 minutes with warm water and tumble dry at low heat (130F) for 10 minutes.

Our Hoods are replacing facemasks for more practical and economical protection in many work environments. There is only one elastic nonwovens process line (which was built by DuPont at VitaFlex’s plant in Burlington, North Carolina) and I am the scientist to continue developing elastic nonwovens and soft-stretch protective hoods.