Effect of fit testing on the protection offered by N95 filtering facepiece respirators against fine particles in a laboratory setting

Details

• Personal Author:
  Grinshpun SA ; Johnson E ; Lee S-A ; McKay R ; Reponen T
• Description:
  OBJECTIVES: This study investigated particle-size-selective protection factors (PFs) of four models of N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) that passed and failed fit testing. Particle size ranges were representative of individual viruses and bacteria (aerodynamic diameter d(a) = 0.04-1.3 µm). METHODS: Standard respirator fit testing was followed by particle-size-selective measurement of PFs while subjects wore N95 FFRs in a test chamber. PF values obtained for all subjects were then compared to those obtained for the subjects who passed the fit testing. RESULTS: Overall fit test passing rate for all four models of FFRs was 67%. Of these, 29% had PFs <10 (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Assigned Protection Factor designated for this type of respirator). When only subjects that passed fit testing were included, PFs improved with 9% having values <10. On average, the PFs were 1.4 times (29.5/21.5) higher when only data for those who passed fit testing were included. The minimum PFs were consistently observed in the particle size range of 0.08-0.2 µm. CONCLUSIONS: Overall PFs increased when subjects passed fit testing. The results support the value of fit testing but also show for the first time that PFs are dependent on particle size regardless of fit testing status. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Laboratories Men Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Bioaerosols Bacteria Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Fine Particles Fit Test Humans Laboratory-work N95 Nanoparticles Particulate-dust Particulates Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Protection Factor Protective-equipment Respirators Respiratory-equipment Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory Protection

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• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  264-271
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040126
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2011 Apr; 55(3):264-271
• Contact Point Address:
  Tiina Reponen, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 670056, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0056
• Email:
  Tiina.Reponen@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010601
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• End Date:
  20110731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ac4c2ab84be1162baf7e50fee8a40cae9c7338ffcdeede440e1554d084f41b0d9468cdb4091e0bbfeab1f1557b83db32a325655b79fc0f25fad5f5523db56917
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193094/cdc_193094_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 222.67 KB ]