What levels of protection do disposable respirators provide?
Disposable respirators are certified to the EN 149 standard. Despite often being referred to as disposable dust masks, these respirators provide protection against a range of solid and liquid particulate hazards – including dusts, fibres, fumes and aerosols.
Testing is carried out to assess breathing resistance, filter penetration, clogging, carbon dioxide content, and the strength of connections and valves.
?
Disposable respirators are classified by filter performance:
For each class, there is a relevant Assigned Protection Factor (APF) indicating the level of protection a wearer can expect to receive in the workplace:
The APF is the factor by which exposure is reduced when wearing a certain respirator. For example, a properly fitted FFP2 respirator reduces exposure by at least a factor of 10. This means the respirator can be worn in areas with hazard concentrations up to 10 times above the Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL).
Different countries have varying APFs, and it is important to check local regulations prior to selecting equipment.
?
Clogging resistance
EN 149 includes a test to assess the respirator’s capacity to resist clogging by very fine dusts. The clogging test is optional for non-reusable respirators and mandatory for reusable respirators.
For this test, the mask is loaded with dolomite dust and tested to ensure breathing resistance does not exceed specified values. Respirators that pass the dolomite dust clogging test are marked with the letter D.
?
Tight-fitting RPE
Disposable masks are tight-fitting respiratory protective equipment (RPE) which must be fit tested to ensure suitability. Fit testing is required for each wearer to ensure they can achieve an effective fit in the specific model(s) and size(s) of respirators they use at work.
Wearers of tight-fitting RPE must also be clean-shaven in the area of the face seal. Facial hair can interfere with the mask seal, allowing harmful substances to leak in through gaps around the mask instead of being drawn through the filter material. Learn more about facial hair and RPE.
?