Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Respiratory Protection Handbook: Revised September 2025

Details

• Personal Author:
  Szalajda, Jonathan V. ; Greenawald, Lee A. ; Janssen, Larry ; Johnson, Arthur T. ; Johnson, James S. ; Mansdorf, S. Z. ; Medici, O. R. ; Metzler, Richard W. ; Rehak, Timothy R.
• Description:
  Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards are constantly evolving in type, intent of use, and ways of dissemination. Emergency responders would most likely use air-purifying respirators (APRs) with CBRN cannisters against all hazards in an intentional or unintentional event. Thus, new and emerging hazards must be identified to ensure APRs with CBRN canisters continue to provide protection to those responders. This 2025 handbook updates the original CBRN Respiratory Protection Handbook (Publication No. 2018-166). This handbook reflects new and emerging chemical and radiological hazards information identified during a recent hazard assessment conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense. As a result of this hazard assessment, NIOSH expanded its CBRN APR Protection List to capture additional hazards that NIOSH Approved® APRs with CBRN canisters would provide protection against. The changes to NIOSH's CBRN APR Protection List are captured in Chapter 2, Table 2-1. Additionally, changes in Chapter 3 reflect updates to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards involving respirators with CBRN protections.
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Respiratory protection; Respiratory protective equipment; CBRN respirators; Chemical biological radiological nuclear respirators
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Handbook ; Guidance
• Place as Subject:
  Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• 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:
  239 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Aston, Mark ; Yeager, Greg ; Cloonan, Terrence ; Bohman, Mary ; Page, Frank ; Foust, Heidi ; Moore, Jordan
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071024
• Citation:
  Pittsburgh, PA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2025-111 (Revised 09/2025), 2025 Sep; :1-239
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cb870f9671008fc3c8c706f7314b684ba6ea2af0124766ef8e138fa62edba02bad1a86fd1cc54725ddbdad75040f5538a4d28ee7b790ae83b539a506ca0ac6f9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/257800/cdc_257800_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.54 MB ]