Efficacy of chlorine-based disinfectants to control Legionella within premise plumbing systems.

Legionella is an opportunistic waterborne pathogen that causes Legionnaires' disease. It poses a significant public health risk, especially to vulnerable populations in health care facilities. It is ubiquitous in manufactured water systems and is transmitted via inhalation or aspiration of aerosols/water droplets generated from water fixtures (e.g., showers and hand basins). As such, the effective management of premise plumbing systems (building water systems) in health care facilities is essential for reducing the risk of Legionnaires' disease. Chemical disinfection is a commonly used control method and chlorine-based disinfectants, including chlorine, chloramine, and chlorine dioxide, have been used for over a century. However, the effectiveness of these disinfectants in premise plumbing systems is affected by various interconnected factors that can make it challenging to maintain effective disinfection. This systematic literature review identifies all studies that have examined the factors impacting the efficacy and decay of chlorine-based disinfectant within premise plumbing systems. A total of 117 field and laboratory-based studies were identified and included in this review. A total of 20 studies directly compared the effectiveness of the different chlorine-based disinfectants. The findings from these studies ranked the typical effectiveness as follows: chloramine > chlorine dioxide > chlorine. A total of 26 factors were identified across 117 studies as influencing the efficacy and decay of disinfectants in premise plumbing systems. These factors were sorted into categories of operational factors that are changed by the operation of water devices and fixtures (such as stagnation, temperature, water velocity), evolving factors which are changed in-directly (such as disinfectant concentration, Legionella disinfectant resistance, Legionella growth, season, biofilm and microbe, protozoa, nitrification, total organic carbon(TOC), pH, dissolved oxygen(DO), hardness, ammonia, and sediment and pipe deposit) and stable factors that are not often changed(such as disinfectant type, pipe material, pipe size, pipe age, water recirculating, softener, corrosion inhibitor, automatic sensor tap, building floor, and construction activity). A factor-effect map of each of these factors and whether they have a positive or negative association with disinfection efficacy against Legionella in premise plumbing systems is presented. It was also found that evaluating the effectiveness of chlorine disinfection as a water risk management strategy is further complicated by varying disinfection resistance of Legionella species and the form of Legionella (culturable/viable but non culturable, free living/biofilm associated, intracellular replication within amoeba hosts). Future research is needed that utilises sensors and other approaches to measure these key factors (such as pH, temperature, stagnation, water age and disinfection residual) in real time throughout premise plumbing systems. This information will support the development of improved models to predict disinfection within premise plumbing systems. The findings from this study will inform the use of chlorine-based disinfection within premise plumbing systems to reduce the risk of Legionnaires disease.

An Investigation into the Prevalence of Methamphetamine Related Enquiries to Local Government Environmental Health Officers.

Methamphetamine contamination of residential properties remains a serious public health concern for members of the public. External stakeholders including Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and testing and remediation technicians are engaged on investigating whether contamination has occurred from manufacturing or smoking processes. More specifically, local council EHOs are responsible for managing clandestine drug laboratories when notified by police and also for responding to public enquiries. However, the full scope of these contaminated properties is not seen by any single stakeholder, making it very challenging to quantify these situations. To evaluate the prevalence of methamphetamine related enquiries from the general public to EHOs, this study surveyed and interviewed officers from around Australia. It was found that public enquiries were infrequent with only 6% of respondents having received enquiries in the last month, which indicates that people are seeking information from other sources. Interestingly, there were case study scenarios that also mentioned issues with awareness and the flow of information. Concerns regarding difficult cases, police notifications, and site visits were also highlighted. The results of this study provide a benchmark of how methamphetamine related cases are managed and highlight the need for trustworthy information that is available to EHOs, governments, industry members, and the public in a unified location.

Increased flushing frequency of a model plumbing system initially promoted the formation of viable but non culturable cells but ultimately reduced the concentration of culturable and total Legionella DNA.

Legionella is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, and its prevalence in potable water is a significant public health issue. Water stagnation within buildings increases the risk of Legionella. However, there are limited studies investigating how stagnation arising through intermittent usage affects Legionella proliferation and the studies that are available do not consider viable but non culturable (VBNC) Legionella. This study used a model plumbing system to examine how intermittent water stagnation affects both VBNC and culturable Legionella. The model plumbing system contained a water tank supplying two biofilm reactors. The model was initially left stagnant for ≈5 months (147 days), after which one reactor was flushed daily, and the other weekly. Biofilm coupons, and water samples were collected for analysis at days 0, 14 and 28. These samples were analysed for culturable and VBNC Legionella, free-living amoebae, and heterotrophic bacteria. After 28 days, once-a-day flushing significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the amount of biofilm-associated culturable Legionella (1.5 log10 reduction) compared with weekly flushing. However, higher counts of biofilm-associated VBNC Legionella (1 log10 higher) were recovered from the reactor with once-a-day flushing compared with weekly flushing. Likewise, once-a-day flushing increased the population of biofilm-associated Vermamoeba vermiformis (approximately 3 log10 higher) compared with weekly flushing, which indicated a positive relationship between VBNC Legionella and V. vermiformis. This is the first study to investigate the influence of stagnation on VBNC Legionella under environmental conditions. Overall, this study showed that a reduction in water stagnation decreased culturable Legionella but not VBNC Legionella.

Climate Change and Health: Local Government Capacity for Health Protection in Australia.

Climate change is the greatest global health threat of the 21st century, with numerous direct and indirect human health consequences. Local governments play a critical role in communities' response to climate change, both through strategies to reduce emissions and adaption plans to respond to changing climate and extreme weather events. Australian local government environmental health officers (EHOs) have the relevant skills and expertise to inform and develop adaptation plans for health protection in the context of climate change. This study used an online survey followed by phone interviews of local government management to determine the extent to which EHOs are involved in adaptation planning in health protection climate change plans. Questions were also asked to determine whether local councils are aware of EHOs' capability to contribute and to gauge the willingness of management to provide EHOs with the workload capacity to do so. The findings demonstrated that although climate adaptation and mitigation planning is occurring in local government, it is not including or considering the public health impacts on the community. Primarily, it was found that this oversight was due to a lack of awareness of the health impacts of climate change outside of a disaster or emergency scenario. Currently, EHOs are an untapped source of knowledge and skills that can contribute to climate change adaption planning. To support this, a framework of local environmental health practice was developed to assist the reconceptualization of the scope of practice required for the planning and response to climate change.

Detection and quantification of viable but non-culturable Legionella pneumophila from water samples using flow cytometry-cell sorting and quantitative PCR.

Legionella pneumophila is a waterborne pathogen and, as the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, a significant public health concern. Exposure to environmental stresses, and disinfection treatments, promotes the formation of resistant and potentially infectious viable but non-culturable (VBNC) Legionella. The management of engineered water systems to prevent Legionnaires' disease is hindered by the presence of VBNC Legionella that cannot be detected using the standard culture (ISO11731:2017-05) and quantitative polymerase reaction (ISO/TS12869:2019) methods. This study describes a novel method to quantify VBNC Legionella from environmental water samples using a "viability based flow cytometry-cell sorting and qPCR" (VFC + qPCR) assay. This protocol was then validated by quantifying the VBNC Legionella genomic load from hospital water samples. The VBNC cells were unable to be cultured on Buffered Charcoal Yeast Extract (BCYE) agar; however, their viability was confirmed through their ATP activity and ability to infect amoeba hosts. Subsequently, an assessment of the ISO11731:2017-05 pre-treatment procedure demonstrated that acid or heat treatment cause underestimation of alive Legionella population. Our results showed that these pre-treatment procedures induce culturable cells to enter a VBNC state. This may explain the observed insensitivity and lack of reproducibility often observed with the Legionella culture method. This study represents the first time that flow cytometry-cell sorting in conjunction with a qPCR assay has been used as a rapid and direct method to quantify VBNC Legionella from environmental sources. This will significantly improve future research evaluating Legionella risk management approaches for the control of Legionnaires' disease.

Climate Change and Health: Challenges to the Local Government Environmental Health Workforce in South Australia.

Climate change is the most urgent and significant public health risk facing the globe. In Australia, it has been identified that Environmental Health Officers/Practitioners (EHOs/EHPs, hereafter EHOs) are a currently underutilized source of knowledge and skills that can contribute to climate change adaptation planning at the local government level. The ability of local government EHOs to utilize their local knowledge and skills in human health risk assessment during a public health emergency was demonstrated through their role in the response to COVID-19. This study used a survey and follow up interviews to examine the roles and responsibilities of EHOs during the COVID-19 pandemic and used the results to examine the potential of the workforce to tackle climate change and health related issues. What worked well, what regulatory tools were helpful, how interagency collaboration worked and what barriers or hindering factors existed were also explored. A workforce review of EHOs in South Australia was also undertaken to identify current and future challenges facing EHOs and their capacity to assist in climate change preparedness. The findings demonstrated that the workforce was used in the response to COVID-19 for varying roles by councils, including in education and communication (both internally and externally) as well as monitoring and reporting compliance with directions. Notably, half the workforce believed they could have been better utilized, and the other half thought they were well utilized. The South Australian Local Government Functional Support Group (LGFSG) was praised by the workforce for a successful approach in coordinating multiagency responses and communicating directions in a timely fashion. These lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic should be incorporated into climate change adaptation planning. To ensure consistent messaging and a consolidated information repository, a centralized group should be used to coordinate local government climate change adaptation plans in relation to environmental health and be included in all future emergency management response plans. The surveyed EHOs identified environmental health issues associated with climate change as the most significant future challenge; however, concerningly, participants believe that a lack of adequate resourcing, leading to workforce shortages, increasing workloads and a lack of support, is negatively impacting the workforce's preparedness to deal with these emerging issues. It was suggested that the misperception of environmental health and a failure to recognize its value has resulted in a unique dilemma where EHOs and their councils find themselves caught between managing current workload demands and issues, and endeavouring to prepare, as a priority, for emerging environmental health issues associated with climate change and insufficient resources.

The composition of planktonic prokaryotic communities in a hospital building water system depends on both incoming water and flow dynamics.

In recent years, the frequency of nosocomial infections has increased. Hospital water systems support the growth of microbes, especially opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens. In this study, planktonic prokaryotic communities present in water samples taken from hospital showers and hand basins, collected over three different sampling phases, were characterized by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Significant differences in the abundance of various prokaryotic taxa were found through univariate and multivariate analysis. Overall, the prokaryotic communities of hospital water were taxonomically diverse and dominated by biofilm forming, corrosion causing, and potentially pathogenic bacteria. The phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Planctomycetota, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria made up 96% of the relative abundance. The α-diversity measurements of prokaryotic communities showed no difference in taxa evenness and richness based on sampling sites (shower or hand basins), sampling phases (months), and presence or absence of Vermamoeba vermiformis. However, ß-diversity measurements showed significant clustering of prokaryotic communities based on sampling phases, with the greatest difference observed between the samples collected in phase 1 vs phase 2/3. Importantly, significant difference was observed in prokaryotic communities based on flow dynamics of the incoming water. The Pielou's evenness diversity index revealed a significant difference (Kruskal Wallis, p < 0.05) and showed higher species richness in low flow regime (< 13 minutes water flushing per week and ≤ 765 flushing events per six months). Similarly, Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index found significant differences (PERMANOVA, p < 0.05) in the prokaryotic communities of low vs medium/high flow regimes. Furthermore, linear discriminant analysis effect size showed that several biofilm forming (e.g., Pseudomonadales), corrosion causing (e.g., Desulfobacterales), extremely environmental stress resistant (e.g., Deinococcales), and potentially pathogenic (e.g., Pseudomonas) bacterial taxa were in higher amounts under low flow regime conditions. This study demonstrated that a hospital building water system consists of a complex microbiome that is shaped by incoming water quality and the building flow dynamics arising through usage.

Current knowledge of the degradation products of tattoo pigments by sunlight, laser irradiation and metabolism: a systematic review.

The popularity of tattooing has increased significantly over recent years. This has raised concerns about the safety of tattoo inks and their metabolites/degradation products. The photolytic and metabolic degradation of tattoo pigments may result in the formation of toxic compounds, with unforeseen health risks. A systematic literature review was undertaken to determine the current state of knowledge of tattoo pigments' degradation products when irradiated with sunlight, laser light or metabolised. The review demonstrates that there is a lack of knowledge regarding tattoo pigment degradation/metabolism, with only eleven articles found pertaining to the photolysis of tattoo pigments and two articles on the metabolism of tattoo pigments. The limited research indicates that the photolysis of tattoo pigments could result in many toxic degradation products, including hydrogen cyanide and carcinogenic aromatic amines.

Molecular screening and characterization of Legionella pneumophila associated free-living amoebae in domestic and hospital water systems.

Free-living amoebae are ubiquitous in the environment and cause both opportunistic and non-opportunistic infections in humans. Some genera of amoebae are natural reservoirs of opportunistic plumbing pathogens, such as Legionella pneumophila. In this study, the presence of free-living amoebae and Legionella was investigated in 140 water and biofilm samples collected from Australian domestic (n = 68) and hospital water systems (n = 72). Each sample was screened in parallel using molecular and culture-based methods. Direct quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays showed that 41% samples were positive for Legionella, 33% for L. pneumophila, 11% for Acanthamoeba, and 55% for Vermamoeba vermiformis gene markers. Only 7% of samples contained culturable L. pneumophila serogroup (sg)1, L. pneumophila sg2-14, and non-pneumophila Legionella. In total, 69% of samples were positive for free-living amoebae using any method. Standard culturing found that 41% of the samples were positive for amoeba (either Acanthamoeba, Allovahlkampfia, Stenamoeba, or V. vermiformis). V. vermiformis showed the highest overall frequency of occurrence. Acanthamoeba and V. vermiformis isolates demonstrated high thermotolerance and osmotolerance and strong broad spectrum bacteriogenic activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Importantly, all Legionella positive samples were also positive for amoeba, and this co-occurrence was statistically significant (p < 0.05). According to qPCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization, V. vermiformis and Allovahlkampfia harboured intracellular L. pneumophila. To our knowledge, this is the first time Allovahlkampfia and Stenamoeba have been demonstrated as hosts of L. pneumophila in potable water. These results demonstrate the importance of amoebae in engineered water systems, both as a pathogen and as a reservoir of Legionella. The high frequency of gymnamoebae detected in this study from Australian engineered water systems identifies an issue of significant public health concern. Future water management protocols should incorporate treatments strategies to control amoebae to reduce the risk to end users.

A Review of Methods Used to Detect Methamphetamine from Indoor Air and Textiles in Confined Spaces.

Methamphetamine manufacture, use, and the resulting contamination is a significant issue that affects public health, the environment, and the economy. Third-hand exposure to methamphetamine can result in adverse health risks for individuals and first responders. Such exposures can result from the inhalation of airborne residues or from contact with contaminated objects. This review was conducted to determine the current methods used for methamphetamine extraction from indoor air and porous fabric materials. Dynamic solid phase microextraction (SPME) and sorbent sampling tubes have been applied to extract airborne methamphetamine residues from contaminated properties. SPME and solvent extraction have been applied to sample clothing and textiles for methamphetamine detection. This review demonstrates that there is limited literature on the detection of methamphetamine from indoor air and clothing. Supplementary and consistent methods to detect methamphetamine from air and porous surfaces should be developed and published to allow better assessment of the environmental risk to public health caused by third-hand exposure to methamphetamine.

The New Environmental Health in Australia: Failure to Launch?

BACKGROUND: The New Environmental Health is an approach to environmental health adopted in 1999. The new approach was in response to emerging health risks from the pressures that development placed on the environment, climate change, and increasing vulnerabilities of local communities. The new approach heralded a change in perception and roles within environmental health. Twenty years on, it seems these changes have not been embraced by local government. METHODS: To determine whether this was the case, we assessed the use of the term "environmental health" in local government annual reports, and where environmental health functions sit within the organisational structure of councils. RESULTS: We found that the New Environmental Health has not been adopted by councils and environmental health relates solely to the delivery of statutory services and legislative compliance. CONCLUSIONS: One result of this is local environmental health practitioners, who constitute the major health protection capability of councils, are defined by the narrow legislative obligations imposed on councils. This represents a significant lost opportunity as public health is not protected in the way that was envisaged with the adoption of the New Environmental Health.

An instance of parasitism on a human by a nymph of the kangaroo soft tick, Ornithodoros gurneyi Warburton, 1926 (Acari: Argasidae) in South Australia.

The kangaroo soft tick, Ornithodoros gurneyi Warburton, 1926, is a poorly studied argasid of the more arid regions of Australia. Anecdotal accounts have stated that this tick species will bite humans, and yet bites have not been described. Herein we report on an instance of parasitism by a nymph of O. gurneyi on a human, and we provide a summary of confirmed instances of parasitism on humans by this tick based on museum specimens.

Current practices underestimate environmental exposures to methamphetamine: inhalation exposures are important.

Current practice for determining the exposure to methamphetamine in contaminated homes relies on the analysis of surface wipe sample to address direct contact exposures. The movement of methamphetamine into the air phase, and the potential for inhalation exposures to occur within residential homes contaminated from former clandestine manufacture or smoking of methamphetamine has been generally poorly characterised and understood. All available risk-based guidelines for determining safe levels of methamphetamine in residential properties do not include any consideration of the inhalation pathway as an exposure route. This study showed that methamphetamine can readily move from contaminated materials in a home into the air phase. This movement of methamphetamine into the air phase provides both an exposure pathway and a mechanism for the transfer of methamphetamine throughout a property. The inhalation exposure pathway has the potential to result in significant intake of methamphetamine, adding to dermal absorption and ingestion exposure routes. Guidelines that are established for the assessment of methamphetamine contaminated properties that ignore inhalation exposures can significantly underestimate exposure and result in guidelines that are not adequately protective of health. This study also demonstrates that sampling methamphetamine in air can be undertaken using commercially available sorption tubes and analytical methods.

Overview of Current Practices in the Methamphetamine Testing and Decontamination Industry: An Australian Case Study.

To better protect public health from third-hand exposure to methamphetamine, it is important to understand the techniques and current practices used within the methamphetamine testing and decontamination industry in Australia. A survey was conducted focusing on business owners that advertised testing and/or remediation services online. They were also invited to participate in a follow-up phone interview upon completion. The survey demonstrated that testing and decontamination methods were highly varied, which was expected for an industry with no regulation. Most companies offered methamphetamine testing and remediation which could be a conflict of interest. Participants also shared personal experiences, including the conduct of other industry members, demonstrating both poor practice and/or the competitive nature of the business. Participating business owners were following Australian guidelines to the best of their ability, and many are advocates for regulation to be implemented within the industry. This would address the inconsistencies between companies and establish trust for industry members and the public. It would also provide significant public health protection, which is currently lacking. A more consistent approach to the testing and remediation of methamphetamine contamination, aided by regulation, would address the significant risk to public health caused by third-hand exposure to methamphetamine.

How can Environmental Health Practitioners contribute to ensure population safety and health during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the relevance of public health professionals all over the world, in particular Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs), who played a major role in the containment of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. However, as in past disasters, their involvement was oriented towards urgent tasks, and did not fully utilize EHPs' competences and skills. Additionally, due to limited resources, during emergencies EHPs may temporarily transition away from their day-to-day role, potentially increasing other public health and safety risk factors without appropriate surveillance or intervention. To overcome this and prepare for possible future pandemics, it is important to identify and discuss the key roles of EHPs in different countries, providing a common framework for practices that can contribute to population safety and health. To this end, an international workgroup was established to discuss current environmental health practices and challenges across different countries during the pandemic. Findings from discussions concluded that, despite the observed differences across the countries, EHPs are one of the main public health emergency preparedness and response actors. However, since resources are still lagging significantly behind need, we argue that the role of these professionals during pandemics should be focused on practices that have higher impact to support population health and safety.

Water as a Source of Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are one of the most common patient complications, affecting 7% of patients in developed countries each year. The rise of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria has been identified as one of the biggest global health challenges, resulting in an estimated 23,000 deaths in the US annually. Environmental reservoirs for AMR bacteria such as bed rails, light switches and doorknobs have been identified in the past and addressed with infection prevention guidelines. However, water and water-related devices are often overlooked as potential sources of HAI outbreaks. This systematic review examines the role of water and water-related devices in the transmission of AMR bacteria responsible for HAIs, discussing common waterborne devices, pathogens, and surveillance strategies. AMR strains of previously described waterborne pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium spp., and Legionella spp. were commonly isolated. However, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae that are not typically associated with water were also isolated. Biofilms were identified as a hot spot for the dissemination of genes responsible for survival functions. A limitation identified was a lack of consistency between environmental screening scope, isolation methodology, and antimicrobial resistance characterization. Broad universal environmental surveillance guidelines must be developed and adopted to monitor AMR pathogens, allowing prediction of future threats before waterborne infection outbreaks occur.

Zoonotic and Public Health Implications of Campylobacter Species and Squamates (Lizards, Snakes and Amphisbaenians).

Campylobacter spp. is one of the most widespread infectious diseases of veterinary and public health significance. Globally, the incidence of campylobacteriosis has increased over the last decade in both developing and developed countries. Squamates (lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians) are a potential reservoir and source of transmission of campylobacteriosis to humans. This systematic review examined studies from the last 20 years that have reported squamate-associated human campylobacteriosis. It was found that C. fetus subsp. testudinum and C. fetus subsp. fetus were the most common species responsible for human campylobacteriosis from a squamate host. The common squamate hosts identified included bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), green iguana (Iguana iguana), western beaked gecko (Rhynchoedura ornate) and blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea). People with underlying chronic illnesses, the immunocompromised and the elderly were identified as the most vulnerable population. Exposure to pet squamates, wild animals, consumption of reptilian cuisines and cross contamination with untreated water were risk factors associated with Campylobacter infections. Proper hand hygiene practices, responsible pet ownership, 'One Health' education and awareness on zoonotic diseases will help reduce the public health risks arising from Campylobacter exposure through squamates. Continued surveillance using molecular diagnostic methods will also enhance detection and response to squamate-linked campylobacteriosis.

Legionella pneumophila and Protozoan Hosts: Implications for the Control of Hospital and Potable Water Systems.

Legionella pneumophila is an opportunistic waterborne pathogen of public health concern. It is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease (LD) and Pontiac fever and is ubiquitous in manufactured water systems, where protozoan hosts and complex microbial communities provide protection from disinfection procedures. This review collates the literature describing interactions between L. pneumophila and protozoan hosts in hospital and municipal potable water distribution systems. The effectiveness of currently available water disinfection protocols to control L. pneumophila and its protozoan hosts is explored. The studies identified in this systematic literature review demonstrated the failure of common disinfection procedures to achieve long term elimination of L. pneumophila and protozoan hosts from potable water. It has been demonstrated that protozoan hosts facilitate the intracellular replication and packaging of viable L. pneumophila in infectious vesicles; whereas, cyst-forming protozoans provide protection from prolonged environmental stress. Disinfection procedures and protozoan hosts also facilitate biogenesis of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) L. pneumophila which have been shown to be highly resistant to many water disinfection protocols. In conclusion, a better understanding of L. pneumophila-protozoan interactions and the structure of complex microbial biofilms is required for the improved management of L. pneumophila and the prevention of LD.

Viral Filtration Efficiency of Fabric Masks Compared with Surgical and N95 Masks.

In response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, current modeling supports the use of masks in community settings to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. However, concerns have been raised regarding the global shortage of medical grade masks and the limited evidence on the efficacy of fabric masks. This study used a standard mask testing method (ASTM F2101-14) and a model virus (bacteriophage MS2) to test the viral filtration efficiency (VFE) of fabric masks compared with commercially available disposable, surgical, and N95 masks. Five different types of fabric masks were purchased from the ecommerce website Etsy to represent a range of different fabric mask designs and materials currently available. One mask included a pocket for a filter; which was tested without a filter, with a dried baby wipe, and a section of a vacuum cleaner bag. A sixth fabric mask was also made according to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines (Australia). Three masks of each type were tested. This study found that all the fabric masks had a VFE of at least 50% when tested against aerosols with an average size of 6.0 µm (VFE(6.0 µm)). The minimum VFE of fabric masks improved (to 63%) when the larger aerosols were excluded to give and average aerosol size of 2.6 µm (VFE(2.6 µm)), which better represents inhaled aerosols that can reach the lower respiratory system. The best performing fabric masks were the cotton mask with a section of vacuum cleaner bag (VFE(6.0 µm) = 99.5%, VFE(2.6 µm) = 98.8%) or a dried baby wipe (VFE(6.0 µm) = 98.5%, VFE(2.6 µm) = 97.6%) in the pocket designed for a disposable filter, the mask made using the Victorian DHHS design (VFE(6.0 µm) = 98.6%, VFE(2.6 µm) =99.1%) and one made from a layer of 100% hemp, a layer of poly membrane, and a layer of cheesecloth (VFE(6.0 µm) = 93.6%, VFE(2.6 µm) = 89.0%). The VFE of two surgical masks (VFE(6.0 µm) = 99.9% and 99.6%, VFE(2.6 µm) = 99.5% and 98.5%) and a N95 masks (VFE(6.0 µm) = 99.9%, VFE(2.6 µm) = 99.3%) were comparable to their advertised bacterial filtration efficacy. This research supports the use of fabric masks in the community to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2; however, future research is needed to explore the optimum design in ensuring proper fit. There is also a need for mass education campaigns to disseminate this information, along with guidelines around the proper usage and washing of fabric masks.