Subjective tolerance of respirator loads and its relationship to physiological effects.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barrett T ; Harber P ; Loisides P ; Shimozaki S
• Description:
  A study of subjective tolerance of respirator loads and its relationship to respiratory loads simulating the physiological loads of respirators was conducted. Fifty two volunteers, 37 males, ages 20 to 57 years, were studied. They wore noseclips and breathed through a mouthpiece connected to a valve that simulated inspiratory and expiratory resistive loads of a respirator ranging from no load to dead space plus medium resistive loading (6 centimeters of water per liter per second) while exercising on a treadmill at a moderate rate, 1.18 meters per second at 5.0 percent grade. The experiments were also conducted with a single use (disposable) and a full face mask cartridge respirator. Physiological parameters including mouth pressure, external pressure volume work, respiratory time, expiratory time, total time per breath, respiratory rate, tidal volume, inspiratory minute volume, and the duty cycle were measured. Subjective responses were assessed by having the subjects complete two visual analogue scales, perceived limitation of exercise duration (EXERT) and perceived discomfort (DISC). Increasing inspiratory loading caused decreasing tolerance that was reflected on both scales; however, DISC values correlated better with resistance levels than the EXERT values. Similar effects were seen with expiratory resistance loads. Dead space loadings had little effect on subjective response. The disposable mask and full face cartridge mask did not exert any significant effects on the subjective response. Tidal volume and inspiratory minute volume were increased by dead space loading. Expiratory loading decreased the duty cycle and increased expiratory time. The authors conclude that inspiratory and expiratory resistance loads exert significant subjective effects on respirator users. These effects should be taken into account when designing respirators. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Laboratories Nervous System Occupational Health Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Equipment Design Humans Laboratory Testing Physical Exercise Physiological Measurements Psychophysiology Respiratory Protective Equipment Simulation Methods
• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  108-116
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00179038
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1988 Mar; 49(3):108-116
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1988
• NORA Priority Area:
  Respirators Research
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19840801
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• End Date:
  19970331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:16e39c17fe85910f3f471513f6265929cba77deb6df7e05b425d0ae92868e46c7a741d18c84792c54a00fc16b9349786d0748e47e8fdf24353db1d76ed4d7045
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185501/cdc_185501_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 912.90 KB ]