The U.S. dept. of health urges that those who work in environments with marginal air quality don N95 particulate respirators in order to prevent them from getting diseases that stem from such environments.
N95 face respirators serve many different purposes. They are not limited to only filtering the dust, but also serve as a constant reminder for the user that the particular surroundings are unsafe. By not allowing the wearer to touch their mouths with potentially contaminated hands, these masks serve another beneficial purpose. With reference to the design of N95 face masks, there exist safety guidelines for health care workers regarding recommended face-fit. These regulations are published by NIOSH which is an organization located in the USA and having its head office in the nation's capital, Washington DC. It's research laboratories can also be found in the following states: Georgia, New Hampshire and Washington.
NIOSH is a sub organization of the CDC which is part of the health department, thus its mandates and policies can be based on reliably. It's this body that standardizes the so called N95 face masks which is basically a normal dust respirator but is manufactured to the standards regulated by NIOSH.
There is generally a flexible pad that is held over the nose and mouth aided by elastic or even rubber straps so as to prevent he or she from inhaling contaminants when working in a dusty place such as on a construction site. This N95 dust mask is put on in the same way that a surgical mask is put on, but one should note the difference as each of them serves a different function, and using one when you should be using the other may expose you to pathological dangers.
It is equally important to be able to fit your NIOSH N95 dust masks in a manner consistent with the manufacturers instructions, as failure to do this will still leave the user at a potential risk. Dust respirators are supposed to protect users from specific dangers only. For example, a dust mask will not protect the wearer from chemicals in the form of a mist. One would mitigate this danger by wearing a paint respirator, but if you confuse the two and use a dust respirator in place of a paint mask, then you're truly exposed to the chemicals.
Regular dust masks are generally less expensive when compared with conventional respirators but may provide the same degree of protection, and may be even less predisposed to misuse. A few dust maskshave advancements that combine 2 straps over the head, usually one on the upper and the other on the lower part of the head with strips of aluminum that one can bend in a bid to achieve a custom fit. There is also generally foam rubber on the inside of the respirator to ensure good protection even if the aluminum isn't fitting quite as tightly as it should.
The respirators that incorporate these improvements are subjected to standards published by NIOSH and are thus referred to as N95 masks where 'N' implies 'not oil resistant' and the 'ninety-five' is a reference to its efficiency which is 95%.
N95 face respirators serve many different purposes. They are not limited to only filtering the dust, but also serve as a constant reminder for the user that the particular surroundings are unsafe. By not allowing the wearer to touch their mouths with potentially contaminated hands, these masks serve another beneficial purpose. With reference to the design of N95 face masks, there exist safety guidelines for health care workers regarding recommended face-fit. These regulations are published by NIOSH which is an organization located in the USA and having its head office in the nation's capital, Washington DC. It's research laboratories can also be found in the following states: Georgia, New Hampshire and Washington.
NIOSH is a sub organization of the CDC which is part of the health department, thus its mandates and policies can be based on reliably. It's this body that standardizes the so called N95 face masks which is basically a normal dust respirator but is manufactured to the standards regulated by NIOSH.
There is generally a flexible pad that is held over the nose and mouth aided by elastic or even rubber straps so as to prevent he or she from inhaling contaminants when working in a dusty place such as on a construction site. This N95 dust mask is put on in the same way that a surgical mask is put on, but one should note the difference as each of them serves a different function, and using one when you should be using the other may expose you to pathological dangers.
It is equally important to be able to fit your NIOSH N95 dust masks in a manner consistent with the manufacturers instructions, as failure to do this will still leave the user at a potential risk. Dust respirators are supposed to protect users from specific dangers only. For example, a dust mask will not protect the wearer from chemicals in the form of a mist. One would mitigate this danger by wearing a paint respirator, but if you confuse the two and use a dust respirator in place of a paint mask, then you're truly exposed to the chemicals.
Regular dust masks are generally less expensive when compared with conventional respirators but may provide the same degree of protection, and may be even less predisposed to misuse. A few dust maskshave advancements that combine 2 straps over the head, usually one on the upper and the other on the lower part of the head with strips of aluminum that one can bend in a bid to achieve a custom fit. There is also generally foam rubber on the inside of the respirator to ensure good protection even if the aluminum isn't fitting quite as tightly as it should.
The respirators that incorporate these improvements are subjected to standards published by NIOSH and are thus referred to as N95 masks where 'N' implies 'not oil resistant' and the 'ninety-five' is a reference to its efficiency which is 95%.
About the Author:
Kyle Zoltowski is a freelance writer with over 15 years writing experience. Kyle is presently working as a gazetteer with fuzing.com, and has become the resident specialist on N95 Masks and N95 Particulate Respirators.
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