Performance capability of respirators has traditionally been evaluated by testing components of the respirator (e.g., filter efficiency), facepiece fit, total inward leakage, or some other measure of performance evaluated under laboratory conditions. In recent years, increased emphasis has been placed on development of test methods suitable for evaluating respirator performance in the workplace. The goal of such testing is to evaluate the level of protection provided by respirators in the work environment. The AIHA Respiratory Protection Committee believes that workplace testing of respirators has the potential to be an excellent tool for increasing knowledge about the effectiveness of respiratory protection. However, a number of technical issues remain to be addressed before optimal test protocols and data analysis methods can be defined. The progress made to date in workplace testing will be reviewed, and broader discussion about key elements that must be considered when developing guidelines for testing respirators in the workplace will be initiated.
A new qualitative fit test was developed using Bitrex (Macfarland Smith Limited) as the test agent. It was validated by running a series of paired qualitative and quantitative fit tests. Quantitative tests were conducted with a small corn oil aerosol, using a condensation nucleus counter as a detector. Qualitative fit tests were run with Bitrex and saccharin, following the established protocol for the saccharin fit test. Four models of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health--approved replaceable filter respirators were used in the study. All were half mask models equipped with high efficiency filters. In some cases, respirators expected to be the correct size for test subjects were tested. In other cases, respirators expected to be too small or too large for the subjects were tested. Test results were analyzed using fit test method validation criteria recommended in the American National Standards Institute draft standard on fit testing (ANSIZ88.10). The Bitrex and saccharin tests were found to have virtually identical performance. Both met proposed American National Standards Institute requirements for a valid qualitative fit test.
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