Human Subject Testing of Leakage in a Loose-Fitting PAPR

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jamshidi S ; Johnson, Arthur T. ; Koh FC ; Rehak TE
• Description:
  Leakage from loose-fitting PAPRs (powered air-purifying respirators) can compromise the safety of wearers. The Martindale Centurion MAX multifunction PAPR is a loose-fitting PAPR that also incorporates head, eye, and ear protection. This respirator is used in mines where coal dust usually is controlled by ventilation systems. Should the respirator be depended on for significant respiratory protection? Ten human volunteers were asked to wear the Centurion MAX inside a fog-filled chamber. Their inhalation flow rates were measured with small pitot-tube flowmeters held inside their mouths. They were video imaged while they breathed deeply, and the points at which the fog reached their mouths were determined. Results showed that an average of 1.1 L could be inhaled before contaminated air reached the mouth. As long as the blower purges contamination from inside the face piece during exhalation, the 1.1 L acts as a buffer against contaminants leaked due to overbreathing of blower flow rate. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Equipment-design Equipment-reliability Personal-protective-equipment Protective-equipment Respirators Respiratory-equipment Respiratory-protective-equipment Testing-equipment
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  325-329
• Volume:
  5
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033669
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2008 May; 5(5):325-329
• Contact Point Address:
  Arthur T. Johnson, University of Maryland, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
• Email:
  artjohns@umd.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f049dd91ce5a79687c97e204c2e9de0ad924a837aba8fae6221681770f7ba81c53f8a9f102a16cf5cac29a88d3a62d16ae21acf60b8c72ef84a44169bfd9d921
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189149/cdc_189149_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 615.92 KB ]