Rajan, Bob

Directorate of Science and Technology (DST E3)
Magdalen House
Bootle, Merseyside L20 3QZ
UK

Respirators may be used as a last resort for controlling exposure to toxic substances.  One aspect that contributes to the selection of suitable respirators is the extent of the likely performance of respirators.  This may be indicated by the term protection factor.  A number of studies have been conducted to assess respirator performance in real-world applications.

However, different enforcement and standard setting organizations may determine different assigned protection factors for the same class type of respirator.  The reasons for this include the application of different philosophical arguments for carrying out protection factor studies and approaches taken to interpret the results obtained.

This paper will present the findings of a series of protection factor studies on fullface mask respirators.  The studies were carried out using different contaminants and conditions.  The data obtained will be analyzed critically and an appropriate assigned protection factor will be proposed for fullface mask respirators.