Draft:Respirator Selection

• Comment: See WP:NOTGUIDE. Qcne (talk) 17:22, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

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All respirators have limitations. Each type of respirator is designed to protect against specific hazards and operate in specific environments. Therefore, before using a respirator, it is important to choose the type of respirator that has capabilities and limitations which best match the task to be performed.

It is not always advantageous to choose the type of respirator which is most protective. While prioritizing protection is crucial, one must also weigh the potential drawbacks associated with certain respirator designs. For example, full-face respirators, while more protective, can create visual obstructions which impair a worker's ability to operate safely and efficiently when performing complex tasks.

Determining Oxygen Levels

The first consideration should be whether the working environment has sufficient oxygen or whether additional oxygen is needed for a worker to safely operate.

Most respirators simply filter the air in the environment. An oxygen deficient environment will still be oxygen deficient after filtration.

Certain respirators, namely supplied-air respirators (also known as airline respirators) and self-contained breathing apparatuses provide the user with air from an outside source rather than filtering the air in the ambient environment. These respirators should always be used when operating in environments that are known to be oxygen deficient.

Evaluation of the Type of Contaminant

The second consideration should be identifying what contaminants pose a hazard to the worker and what the concentration of those contaminants is. Air-purifying respirators are designed to protect against a narrow range of contaminants (particulates, organic vapors, acid gases, etc.)

Air purifying respirators without cartridges, such as filtering facepiece respirators, are commonly only rated to protect against particulates. Filtering facepiece respirators are most often used when controlling exposures to dust from construction activities or droplets from patients in healthcare settings.

Cartridges for air purifying respirators are typically color coded based upon what they are designed to protect against. For example, green labels are typically associated with cartridges which are designed to protect against ammonia. Black labels are typically associated with filters which are designed to protect against organic vapors.

Evaluation of the Quantity of Contaminant

Respirators are designed to protect a user up to a certain concentration of contaminant. The protective factor typically used in the United States is known as the Assigned Protection Factor (APF). The APF is larger for more protective respirators and lower for less protective respirators.

The protection factor can be used to determine the limitations of a particular type of respirator. For example, an elastomeric half mask has an APF of 10, meaning that it is designed to protect a worker from concentrations up to 10 times greater than the concentration that an unprotected worker could safely be exposed to.