Key Questions
The following key questions are answered in this module:
What is an air-purifying respirator?
A respirator that filters out, or removes, contaminants from the surrounding air before a person breathes that air.
What are the three basic types of air-purifying respirators?
Single-use, disposable respirators, also commonly called dust masks; air-purifying respirators with a tight-fitting, elastomeric facepiece with a quarter-mask, half-mask, or full-mask design; and powered air-purifying respirators, also called PAPRs.
What's a primary difference between air-purifying and air-supplying respirators?
In general terms, air-purifying respirators may be more convenient and easier to walk around with, but they're generally designed to protect against less hazardous environments and they offer no protection in atmospheres that are oxygen deficient.
What should one know before using an air-purifying respirator at work?
The most important thing to know is how to select the respirator to provide proper protection against the hazard (or hazards) in the work atmosphere. In addition, it's important to know all procedures and requirements for respirator selection, medical evaluation, fit testing, inspection, donning, cleaning, maintenance, and storage.
What are the filters and cartridges in air-purifying respirators used for?
Filters are used to remove particles from the air. The cartridges are used to remove chemicals from the air.
What are the different types of filters?
NIOSH-approved filters are identified with a letter (either N, R, or P) and a number (either 95, 99, or 100). "N" means the filter is not resistant to oil; "R" means the filter is somewhat resistant to oil; and "P" means the filter is strongly resistant to oil, or oil proof. "95" means the filter removes at least 95% of particles; "99" means the filter removes at least 99% of particles; and "100" means the filter removes at least 99.9% of particles.
What are the different types of cartridges?
Cartridges are identified with different colors. Each different color means that the cartridge provides protection against a different, specific gas (but does not provide protection against other gases).