Performance characteristics of an elastomeric half-mask respirator modified with a polymer micro-patterned adhesive

Details

• Personal Author:
  Grinshpun SA ; He X ; Lu J ; McKay RT ; Reponen T ; Soroushian P ; Yermakov M
• Description:
  The objectives of this study were: to evaluate the fitting characteristics of an elastomeric half-mask respirator modified with a polymer micro-patterned adhesive applied to the sealing surface; to compare the performance of the modified respirator to that of a conventional (non-modified) one. Twenty-five adult subjects representing a NIOSH bivariate panel were tested with a modified and non-modified elastomeric half-mask respirators while participating in a standard OSHA fit testing protocol. NaCl particles were generated as the challenge aerosol and the concentrations inside and outside of the respirator were measured to determine the fit factor for each subject. Additional tests were performed with one subject under challenge facial conditions, including wet and/or unshaved face. The modified respirator produced a geometric mean (GM) fit factor of 7,907 with a geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 4.9 compared to GM=4,779 and GSD = 9.1 for the non-modified respirator (p =0.07, paired t-test). For all challenge facial conditions, the modified half-mask prototype was consistently achieving significantly (p <0.05) higher fit factors than the conventional half-mask. Applying a polymer micro-patterned adhesive to the sealing surface of an elastomeric half-mask respirator was found to improve respirator fit and showed promise towards improving performance with challenge facial conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Men Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Elastomeric Half-mask Face Masks Face Shields Fit Testing Half Facepiece Respirators Humans Particulates Polymer Micro-patterned Adhesive Respirators
• ISSN:
  0892-6298
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  95-104
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049317
• Citation:
  J Int Soc Respir Prot 2013 May; 30(2):95-104
• Email:
  sergey.grinshpun@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7452b74c0a3e88fb30501f46e79f0c7551957e22e85172c828f953486dc9d310e7fe63c28ae448119dc7e0d5a4924e107cacc1ad5f6623d417185db8a7e46992
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203790/cdc_203790_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.21 MB ]