Filtering Facepiece Respirator Use Among Farm Youth in the US: A Review

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Personal Author:
  Gibbs, Jenna L. ; Vollmer, Brooke ; Sheridan, Carolyn E. ; Pinkerton, Kent E. ; Anthony, T. Renée ; Holm, Stephanie ; Karr, Catherine ; Proctor, Anna ; Swenson, Andrea V. R.
• Description:
  The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical need for protective equipment, such as filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), particularly for youth. This systematic review addresses the significant gap in evidence-based guidance for FFR use among US farm youth, a group potentially exposed to diverse respiratory hazards. Current FFR designs and protocols for FFR use are largely adult-centric. Adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a multidisciplinary panel reviewed 31 publications published between 1990 and 2023. An independent working group of agricultural safety professionals also contributed by reviewing procedures and publications to check for bias during the review process. Key findings show that while FFRs appear physiologically tolerable by youth study subjects. Subjective discomfort and poor fit of adult-sized respirators remain major barriers to effective use and compliance. Studies highlight the critical need for youth-specific FFR designs based on detailed facial anthropometrics and the development of standardized fit-testing protocols tailored for growing youth. Furthermore, evidence-based guidance on ethical pediatric medical evaluations for respirator use and targeted respiratory health education are urgently needed. This review emphasizes that a concerted effort from manufacturers, researchers, and regulatory bodies is essential to ensure youth on farms can safely use respiratory protection.
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Agriculture; Anthropometrics; FFR; N95; Pediatric; Personal Protective Equipment; PPE Farm Workers; Young Workers; N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators; Personal Protective Equipment; PPE; Agricultural Safety; Respiratory Health; Respiratory Protection; Systematic Reviews;
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2026 Mar; 23(3):178-190
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; Pennsylvania ; California ; Washington ; Wisconsin ; Kansas City Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA] ; Chicago 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:
  14 pdf pages
• Volume:
  23
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071217
• Email:
  jennagibbs@aghealthandsafety.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080930
• End Date:
  20260929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e84d7a423bfe92c8440f3b85aaf7964a63216913d66aa4fcf36365506de9536963e043b6303809667f8fe17658f45bbf86524e87a95bead2a4009ef10bfb58bf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258696/cdc_258696_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.24 MB ]