Evaluation of a High-Efficiency, Filter-Bank System

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beamer, Bryan R. ; Martin, Stephen B. Jr. ; Moyer, Ernest S.
• Description:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigators evaluated filtration efficiencies at three U.S. Postal Service (USPS) facilities. Ventilation and filtration systems (VFSs) had been installed after the 2001 bioterrorist attacks when the USPS unknowingly processed letters laden with B. anthracis spores. The new VFS units included high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and were required by USPS contract specifications to provide an overall filtration efficiency of at least 99.97% for particles between 0.3 microm and 3.0 micro m. The USPS evaluation involved a modification of methodology used to test total filtration system efficiency in agricultural tractor cab enclosures. The modified sampling strategy not only proved effective for monitoring the total filtration system component of VFS performance but also distinguished between filtration systems performing to the high USPS performance criteria and those needing repair or replacement. The results clearly showed the importance of choosing a pair of optical particle counters that have been closely matched immediately prior to testing. The modified methodology is readily adaptable to any workplace wishing to evaluate air filtration systems, including high-efficiency systems. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Filtration Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Aerosol-sampling Anthrax Author Keywords: Aerosol Bioterrorism Filters HEPA High-efficiency Filter Monitoring-systems Optical Particle Counter Safety-measures Ventilation-systems

  More +
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  204-213
• Volume:
  3
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20030028
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2006 Apr; 3(4):204-213
• Contact Point Address:
  Bryan R. Beamer, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Safety and Risk Control Program, P.O. Box 790, Menomonie, WI 54751
• Email:
  beamerb@uwstout.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• 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-512:5651f76a678a9f4bfb6980358fff88082299f8e957ec644b21e4e73f73fae8d877735146ca8106ec40dc38026d9d9111258a568c69ebbb132729b6b29c5a059c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/190885/cdc_190885_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.31 MB ]