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All About Respirators
Important questions to find the right equipment:
- What are the contaminants? Both actual and/or potential.
- What are the concentrations of contaminants?
- Do the contaminants have established exposure levels?
- Can the contaminant levels be detected?
- Can existing contaminants cause de-sensitization over time?
- Are the contaminants gas, vapor, particulate?
- If particulate, does the atmosphere contain oil?
- Is the atmosphere IDLH?
- Is or could the atmosphere become oxygen deficient?
- What other PPE is required?
Defining the equipment available:
Air Purifying Respirators (APRs):
These respirators cleanse a contaminated atmosphere and their use is limited to environments where the air contaminant level is within specified concentration limits of the device. These respirators do not protect against oxygen deficiency (where atmospheric O2 levels are less than 19.5% by volume).
Types of Air Purifying Respirators:
Mechanical Filter Cartridge: Filter particulate matter including dusts, mists, metal fumes, and smoke but not gases or vapors.
Chemical Cartridge: Filter low concentrations of certain gases and vapors by using various chemical to purify the inhaled air. These filters typically do not filter particulates (dust, etc.).
Combination Mechanical/Chemical Cartridge: Simply a combination of the above two filters which offers both particulate and chemical filtration protection.
Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs): PAPRs use a power source to operate a blower that draws air through the filter to the user for breathing. Filters used with PAPRs can be mechanical, chemical, or combination mechanical and chemical.
Atmosphere or Air Supplying:
These types of respirators provide a respirable atmosphere to the wearer, independent of ambient air and are required in Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH), atmospheres that pose an immediate threat to life, would cause irreversible adverse health effects, or would impair an individual's ability to escape from a dangerous atmosphere. These respirators are required where oxygen content of the air is less than 19.5% (Normal oxygen content is 20.9%)
Types of Atmosphere or Air Supplying Respirators:
Supplied Air: Air delivered from either a compressed air source such as plant air or an ambient air pump source located in clean air. Compressed air sources must run through a filtration panel including a carbon monoxide monitor. Supplied air is only to be used in non-IDLH atmospheres.
Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): SCBAs provide complete respiratory protection against toxic gases and oxygen deficiency. The wearer is independent of the surrounding atmosphere because he or she is breathing with a system that is portable and admits no outside air. The oxygen air supply of the apparatus itself takes care of respiratory requirements.
Combination SCBA/Supplied Air: These are airline respirators with an auxiliary self-contained air supply and are approved for IDLH atmospheres. The purpose of these types of devices is to allow a person to evacuate or enter an area for a very short period of time. The auxiliary air supply can be switched to in the event the primary air supply fails.
Combination APR and Atmosphere Supplying Respirators: This type is a combination of supplied airline respirator with an auxiliary air purifying attachment which provides protection in the event the air supply fails. They are most often used with a high efficiency filter and have been popular in conjunction with asbestos abatement.
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To learn more about IBT Safety, contact us today!
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