Performance of Two Respiratory Protective Devices Used by Home-Attending Health Care Workers (a Pilot Study)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Elmashae Y ; Grinshpun SA ; Reponen T ; Riddle R ; Yermakov M
• Description:
  Objectives: This pilot study aimed at determining the Workplace Protection Factor (WPF) for respiratory protective devices widely used by health-care workers to reduce exposure to potentially hazardous aerosols when attending patients in their homes. Two devices were tested, an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) and a surgical mask (SM). Methods: Three home-attending health-care workers were recruited, medically cleared and fit tested. At the workplace, the aerosol concentrations outside (Cout) and inside (Cin) of the tested respiratory protective device worn by a subject were measured using two simultaneously operating P-Trak condensation particle counters within the particle size range of approximately 20--1,000 nm. Real-time and integrated (time-weighted average, TWA) values of WPF = Cout/Cin were determined. Results: This pilot study demonstrated that the WPF of the tested N95 FFR consistently exceeded that of the SM. The WPF[TWA(C)] values calculated for the entire test time (based on the TWA aerosol concentration values) ranged from 29 to 40 and 2 to 9, respectively. In all cases, the N95 FFR provided protection above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) assigned protection factor of 10, whereas the SM often offered little or essentially no protection against the measured submicrometer aerosol particles. For both devices, the protection level was found to depend on activity. For example, the WPF[TWA(C)] for one subject wearing the N95 FFR was 56 during normal activity but fell almost 70% during tracheal suctioning. It is explicable considering that different procedures implemented by health-care workers in homes generate particles of different sizes and require different body movements; both factors are anticipated to affect the WPF. Conclusions: Wearing an N95-certified respirator helps significantly reduce the aerosol inhalation exposure of home-attending health-care workers. An SM offers much lower protection. The WPF depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, the health-care worker's activity and/or body movements; the WPF varies from one worker to another. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Hazardous Substances Health Personnel Home Care Services Occupational Health Particulate Matter Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Activity Levels Aerosol Particles APF Assigned Protection Factors Author Keywords: Health-care Workers Face Masks Hazardous Materials Health Care Personnel Home Health Care Inhalation N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators N95 Respirator Particle Counters Particle Size Personal Protective Equipment Protective Equipment Protective Measures Respirators Respiratory Equipment Respiratory Protection Respiratory Protective Equipment Surgical Mask Surgical Masks Time Weighted Average Exposure Work Environment

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• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• 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
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049878
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2017 Sep; 14(9):D145-D149
• Contact Point Address:
  Sergey A. Grinshpun, Center for Health-Related Aerosol Studies, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Email:
  sergey.grinshpun@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f45469582bdf6b6f872a4571aaa61697f9e262cfa892bbda73e4763e412cd4b00216a12d10f80ca53fe4eb76db123faa71dd793dfa94999719d893d75143afeb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210474/cdc_210474_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 726.55 KB ]