Variation in quantitative respirator fit factors due to fluctuations in leak size during fit testing

Details

• Personal Author:
  Juozaitis A ; Krishnan U ; Myojo T ; Shukla R ; Talaska G ; Willeke K
• Description:
  A two part controlled study was conducted in an effort to determine the change in fit factors during quantitative respirator fit testing. The first part of the study focused on a high level of respirator fit and the second focused on a low level of respirator fit. The high respirator fit was obtained with a large size silicone half mask on the first subject and a low fit obtained with a medium size natural rubber half mask on the second. In a mannequin study, a half mask was fitted with a center probe and three artificial leaks of 0.84 millimeters internal diameter and 5 centimeters in length were introduced at the faceseal. Two methods of fit testing were used, an aerosol fit test and the dichotomous flow fit test. Due to fluctuations in the faceseal leak size, even for the same respirator fit there was a high degree of variation in the fit data collected. The authors conclude that the fit factors which are determined on a human cannot be expected to be constant even when the most perfect test system is used. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Equipment-reliability Face-masks NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Respirators Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Testing-equipment
• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  309-314
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00219777
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1994 Apr; 55(4):309-314
• Contact Point Address:
  Environmental Health University of Cincinnati Dept of Environmental Health Cincinnati, Ohio 45267
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• NORA Priority Area:
  Respirator Research
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19810701
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• End Date:
  19920831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cb071c6ce89609c2fcf36e803ea9ff0e4386ae430e435a6ac7965b489bcb6352309a896eb183fb05dcd065176ba7dce11d7b3417547cb44f682b973ad07b30c4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/205867/cdc_205867_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 666.69 KB ]