Chapel Hill Review

While it's been widely reported of the need for personal protective equipment for first responders and health care workers, state Rep.Graig Meyer (D-Orange) said these shortages are worrisome for the agriculture industry. 

The agriculture industry is a big market for N95 masks and rely on them for safety. Workers use N95 masks while applying fertilizers and pesticides to crops to protect their lungs. As the fertilizing season approaches, this sector will need access to N95 to safely do their jobs. When applying chemicals to orchards and crops, they use similar gear to healthcare workers, such as suits, gloves, and N95 masks.

Agricultural workers having difficulty accessing their equipment are asked to contact their extension agent, said Meyer according to Chapel Boro.

Farmers have taken to reusing supplies to conserve resources.

Joe Sinclair is president of a full-service farm retailer and pesticide contractor, Quality Ag Service.

“We can wash and reuse nitrile gloves, and try to conserve dust masks as much as possible,” said Sinclair, according to Bloomberg Law.

Firefighters use personal protection equipment as well, such as full-length gowns and masks when in close contact with those they are serving.

According to Chapel Boro, Chapel Hill Fire Chief Vence Harris said, “Right now there’s a real shortage of PPE, so we’re doing everything to conserve what we can get.” 

Harris said they have changed the protocol to adapt to the circumstances presented by COVID-19. “Right now there’s a real shortage of personal protection equipment, so we’re doing everything to conserve what we can get,” he said.

According to WUNC, health care workers are reusing personal protection equipment or producing more from supplies on hand. Duke Health is using vaporized hydrogen peroxide to sanitize masks and reuse them.

On April 14, Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said that the state is working to give certain facilities personal protection equipment, according to WUNC.

"We pushed out supplies of masks, bleach, hand sanitizers, gloves and disinfectant yesterday to hospitals, licensed care homes, and first responders,” said Sprayberry, according to WUNC.

3D printers are being used by Duke Health, NC State University and UNC Health to produce face shields for healthcare workers.

Professor Vinayak Deshpande, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, said these were good short term measures, according to WUNC.

He said that long-term strategies would be improving information systems that track the supply and to increase the number of masks that are produced domestically.