Identification of faceseal leak sites on a half-mask respirator

Details

• Personal Author:
  Oestenstad RK ; Perkins JL ; Rose VE
• Description:
  A system for identifying respirator faceseal leak sites was described. The technique consisted of exposing the respirator placed on a manikin or worn by human subjects to an aerosol consisting of 4- methyl-7-diethylaminocoumarin (MDC) particles at concentrations of 18 to 50mg/m3 in a specially designed test chamber. MDC was a fluorescent whitening agent that absorbed long wave ultraviolet radiation and converted it to blue light. Photographs using ultraviolet light were taken before and after exposure. Any leak sites appeared on the photographs as white areas. The system was tested with a United States Safety Series 200 Half Mask respirator. Sufficient amounts of MDC were deposited so that leaks around the faceseal could be detected. Experiments used to optimize the test system were described. The authors conclude that respiratory faceseal leak sites can be identified with the MDC aerosol. The system can be used to determine the distribution of leak sites and shapes for various groups of wearers and respirator types. Information obtained by the system may be useful for identifying an association of critical facial dimensions with respirator fit factors. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Laboratories Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Equipment-reliability Laboratory-testing Leak-detectors NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Respirators Respiratory-protective-equipment Visual-aids
• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  280-284
• Volume:
  51
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00195914
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1990 May; 51(5):280-284
• Contact Point Address:
  Environmental Health Sciences Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health Birmingham, AL 35294
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1990
• NORA Priority Area:
  Respirator Research
• Performing Organization:
  University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19880401
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• End Date:
  19890331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d61d5d8b174f6a02bd240f8cec8086d72edb0a99c686f2e0a899028206c15a55d6282db4dc35d02225128f3020b2de730b9358a77100a981e1743da6889fab03
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204871/cdc_204871_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 716.84 KB ]