34. A Comparison of the Workplace Performance of a Dust/Mist and Two N95 Particulate Half Facepiece Respirators

Abstract

pressure) particulate filter respirators. (1) The new certification regulation, 42 CFR 84, which contained these tests, eliminated the need for unique tests of particulate respirators used for various aerosols. At the same time, 42 CFR 84 established three series of filters, N, R & P with three levels of filter efficiency, 95, 99 and 99.97%. According to NIOSH, these new filters can be used without regard to aerosol size. The most critical filter selection issue is the presence of oil aerosols in workplace air. While certain laboratory tests may show a difference between 30 CFR 11 and 42 CFR 84 compliant filters, there are no data to show if or how these changes affect respiratory protection in the workplace. Therefore, this study was undertaken to: • measure the performance of By Craig E. Colton, C.I.H. Craig Colton is a Certified Industrial Hygienist with the 3M OH&ESD Laboratory. In this workplace study, there was no difference in performance among a dust/mist respirator approved under 30 CFR 11 and two N95 particulate respirators approved under 42 CFR 84. While the new NIOSH standard imposed stricter filter performance requirements, its implementation did not result in a significant difference in protection provided by the new respirators.

Comparison of Three Commercially Available Fit-Test Methods

“…Colton and Bidwell reported on a WPF study of three models of filtering facepiece respirator. (20) Subjects in this study were fit-tested with Bitrex. Geometric mean WPFs of 673 to 955 were found for the three models, and 5th percentile values ranged from 73 to 169.…”

How Protective Are Respirator Assigned Protection Factors: An Uncertainty Analysis

“…(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18) For example, Buringh and Lanting reported on the variability of air monitoring data for 420 persons working in 25 industries in the Netherlands. (11) The mean GSD c was 2.7 with most less than 5.…”

“…(7) This led to a (25) Lenhart (26) Nelson (27) Gosselink (28) Colton (29) Myers (30) Colton (29) Colton (12) recommendation that the APF be based on inter-and intraperson variability. When a respirator is selected with an APF greater than the HR, it is assumed the exposure inside the respirator will then be less than the exposure limit.…”

Oh Canada! 59thAnnual American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition

“…(122) When electrostatically charged media are employed in air purifying respirators, both environmental conditions and the contaminants themselves may reduce the rated ef ciency. (123) If leak rates increase with inhalation resistance, a recommendation was made that respirator lters should be changed daily.…”