Air Purifying Respirators for Protection Against Airborne Radioactive Contaminants

Abstract

Respiratory protective devices for protection against airborne radioactive contaminants have been in use for approximately 20 years but have not been tested and approved by any government agency. The U.S. Bureau of Mines proposed approval program and current activities for such devices are discussed.This paper discusses the AEC Respirator Committee specifications for respiratory protective devices against highly toxic contaminants and some current activities to test commercially available devices in relation to these specifications. The Harvard test results and results of the LASL respirator fitting tests are given. Discussion of the Navy Mark V gas mask, and results of LASL tests with commercial masks at temperatures down to -30°F are presented. Limitations on selection and use of respirators are discussed.

Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-93-040-2315, Anchorage Fire Department, Anchorage, Alaska.

“…(25) The use of irritant smoke produced by air flow indicator tubes for facepiece fit testing was first described in 1963. (26) The author noted that one advantage of the test was that the aerosol produced a fume with a particle size range of 0.5 µm to 3.0 µm. The particle size measurement results reported in this HHE Final Report suggest that the aerosol consists predominantly of sub-micrometer size particles.…”

“…The effects of exposure to irritant smoke are described in these protocols as "irritating the eyes," (29) "very irritating and must be used carefully to avoid injury," (23,24) and "extremely irritating." (26) These warnings are assumed to be based upon subjective data rather than upon air sampling, since no information was found concerning the levels of hydrogen chloride to which an individual might be exposed in the event of facepiece leakage during an irritant smoke fit test. In a letter of interpretation concerning the section of the respirator standard addressing fit testing [1910.134 (e) (5) (i)], OSHA stated in a 1990 letter "that the increased incidence of overexposure to toxic substances in the workplace that would occur in the absence of respirator fit testing presents a greater health risk for employees than does the small exposure to sodium saccharin or stannic oxychloride provided by qualitative fit testing protocols."…”