ISRP 2002 abstract
| Presenter/author | Title | Abstract |
|
Boord, Leslie National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, USA
|
NIOSH CBRN respiratory
Protection Standards Update
|
Emergency response forces in the United
States are required under federal regulations to provide NIOSH-approved
respirators appropriate for the expected hazards. NIOSH efforts to
develop the appropriate respiratory protection standards began with a
domestic assessment of potential chemical, biological, radiological, and
nuclear (CBRN) terrorism agents. A review of national and international
military and industrial respiratory protection standards for protection
against terrorism agents was conducted. Based upon findings from the
threat assessment and standards review, NIOSH developed a three year
schedule for NIOSH CBRN respirator standards to address all classes of
respiratory protection.
In December 2001, NIOSH announced the first set of CBRN respirator standards to address open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Fire fighters and hazardous material incident (HAZMAT) responders expressed a primary concern that their open-circuit SCBA would survive a CBRN exposure. The NIOSH CBRN SCBA standard combines a three tier approval structure: NIOSH industrial SCBA approval; National Fire Protection Association fire service certification; and three special performance tests against chemical warfare agents and facepiece protection levels. Current CBRN respirator standards efforts are directed at standards for full facepiece air-purifying respirators. Standards concepts and future standards schedules will be discussed. |