Saturday 9 April 2011

N95 Respirator Mask - Type of Respirator and Face Mask



N95 Respirator Mask - Type of  Respirator and Face Mask


Breathing is inhaling air through our respiratory system in order to nourish all our vital organs and systems with oxygen. Air consisting of oxygen and air particle that needed by our body and some are not really harmful to human body. But air also consists of pollutants, irritants, Pneumonic Plague, and viruses that can cause great harm and illness. This is why many people use protective masks, such as the N95 Respirator Mask, to keep foreign objects and viruses from entering their respiratory systems.
N95 filter 95% of very small test particles, these masks come in different styles and it is important to pick the right N95 Respirator Mask for the particular situation. There are varieties of N95 Respirator Mask and accordance to certain world’s standard, such as FDA, EN &etc.
Below table illustrate the type of N95 facemask and its standard compiled.

Oil resistance
Rating
Description
Not oil resistant
N95
Filters at least 95% of airborne particles
N99
Filters at least 99% of airborne particles
N100
Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles
Oil Resistant
R95
Filters at least 95% of airborne particles
R99*
Filters at least 99% of airborne particles
R100*
Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles
Oil Proof
P95
Filters at least 95% of airborne particles
P99*
Filters at least 99% of airborne particles
P100
Filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles
*No NIOSH approvals are held by this type of disposable particulate respirator. 
European standard EN 143 defines the following classes of particle filters that can be attached to a face mask:
Class
Filter penetration limit (at 95 L/min air flow)
P1
Filters at least 80% of airborne particles
P2
Filters at least 94% of airborne particles
P3
Filters at least 99.95% of airborne particles
European standard EN 149 defines the following classes of “filtering half masks” (also called “filtering face pieces”), that is respirators that are entirely or substantially constructed of filtering material:
Class
Filter penetration limit (at 95 L/min air flow)
Inward leakage
FFP1
Filters at least 80% of airborne particles
<22%
FFP2
Filters at least 94% of airborne particles
<8%
FFP3
Filters at least 99% of airborne particles
<2%
  
1. Surgical N95 Respirator Mask - for Health care professionals, who work in hospitals, medically assisted living facilities, or small doctor offices. Surgical N95 Respirator Mask act as the protective barrier to protect against patient who may be carrying infections or viruses.

2. Industrial N95 Respirator Mask – for Occupational workers in different environments. Depending on the industry, these workers can be vulnerable to many kinds of particles and foreign objects. Dusty and dirty environment, chemical fumes or particles floating around, smoke and other excessive particle, all these has prompted OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to require the worker to wear the protective equipment including masks.

3. Ordinary N95 Respirator Mask – for general public use, whereby people used to protect themselves from viruses and other airborne germs.



A N95 mask offers protection in a variety of situations and function. It is important to choose the correct mask for the environment in order to get the full protection and benefits.

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