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Respirator filters are rated according to how much particulate matter they can reliably block and what environments they’re best suited for. This is why you’ll see respirators and filters with names like N95 or P100. The letter refers to how resistant the product is to oil, how tightly the material is woven, and the static charge contained in the material. The number represents the percentage of particles that are filtered out. When it comes to personal respiratory protection, P100 is the h …

If you and your team need to wear respirators on the job, it helps to have a means of comparing the relative protection between different respirators and filters. These ratings are designed to help protect you and your workers from different sets of airborne hazards. Sawdust and particles containing asbestos fibers are not the same. Neither should we use the same filter. If you use the wrong type of mask on the job, it could put you and your team at risk.  Learn more about N-, R-, …

For a lot of job sites, safety masks and respirators are an essential piece of PPE. The lungs are delicate, important organs that are hard to repair if they get damaged, and inhaling the wrong chemical can have devastating effects on other areas of the body as well. Protect yourself from invisible airborne particles by investing in a respirator or mask suited to your job. How Masks and Respirators Are Rated The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a divisio …

I've been restoring an old fiberglass sailing dinghy, and find I'm working with a wide range of highly toxic paints, solvents, and bonding agents. It's interesting that something as natural and non-polluting as sailing requires the use of so many noxious products to keep the boat afloat. And it's not only because I work for a safety company, but because I honestly believe using the best possible respirator for painting is essential when working on projects like this. When we started, I …

We recently had a Pureflo representative in to refresh our memories about these great products. Pureflo helmets are powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) and are great for companies that need to supply respirators, but don’t want to fit test each employee. They are also comfortable and may be easier to wear in tight spaces where the traditional PAPR units with belts and hoses can be cumbersome. Pureflo helmets, because they have a motor pulling air into the helmet area, create les …

A common inquiry from customers concerns protection from mold exposure, particularly when trying to clean up or get rid of mold. Our focus will be on choosing respirator and filters. First, we should probably say that there are a couple of considerations. Some people are simply more sensitive to mold than others and even small exposures will make them ill. Second, not all mold is created equal. Some forms, Stachybotrys chartarum (often referred to as black mold) can have severe health c …

I recently got a question about what type of filters should be used for a very interesting project. Although few of my readers will probably have the same exact application, the concept is still the same. Let's take a look: I am member of a pistol shooting club and I melt my own lead from wheel weights, cast my own bullets and shoot the heck out of the lead semi wadcutters that I make. Having said all that, what masks should I use to try and minimize lead exposure when I am casting and/ …