Elastomeric Half Mask Respirators: An Alternative to Disposable Respirators and a Solution to Shortages During Public Health Emergencies

Details

• Personal Author:
  D’Alessandro, Maryann M. ; Greenawald LA ; Haas, Emily J.
• Description:
  During public health emergencies such as an influenza pandemic, disposable filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) shortages have a significant impact on the national response, affecting many types of workplaces that rely on respiratory protection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, severe FFR shortages led the CDC to publish strategies for optimizing the supply of N95 FFRs. These strategies included the extended use and limited reuse of FFRs, wearing decontaminated FFRs, wearing respirators that meet an international respirator standard, or wearing FFRs that were past their manufacturer-designated shelf life. An additional strategy to mitigate supply shortages that was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic was to wear reusable respirators, such as elastomeric half mask respirators (EHMRs), or powered air-purifying respirators, which can be cleaned, disinfected, and reused. A decade of nationwide initiatives to increase the utility of EHMRs in healthcare settings were realized during the COVID-19 pandemic as EHMRs became more well-known and were used in healthcare settings for respiratory protection. This expanded use of EHMRs led to an increase in federal procurement, research, guidance, and private sector research and development of innovative EHMR designs by manufacturers to respond to workers' needs for both respiratory protection and source control. This paper describes the role of reusable EHMRs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reviews past and current research, to inform successful EHMR implementation in healthcare and first responder settings. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Elastomers Emergency Responders Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 Coronavirus COVID-19 Disease Control EHMR Elastomeric Half-mask Respirators Elastomeric Half Mask Respirator First Responders Health Care Workers Infectious Diseases N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators N95 Respirator Shortage Pandemic Personal Protective Equipment PPE

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• ISSN:
  0892-6298
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  74-91
• Volume:
  38
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064550
• Citation:
  J Int Soc Respir Prot 2021 Dec; 38(2):74-91
• Contact Point Address:
  Lee A. Greenawald, PhD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA USA
• Email:
  lgreenawald@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c317bc6b90acebfe312810f42cde349311baf3a5f38e7b9179ffc80efdbed95ab42a53b6e9e38878d5b5da9071ca3fce02c8381fe29fee3f65b77839d95b7860
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222992/cdc_222992_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 323.65 KB ]