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WHST DOES THE RATING ON A DISPOSABLE RESPIRATOR MEAN?

4/18/2011 1:29:09 PM

If you're after the correct protection against airborne hazards in a work place you need an understanding of how the various respirators are rated.

Firstly, what are the six basic types of hazards to your breathing?

They are dust, mist, fume, vapour, gas and oxygen; although oxygen is only a hazard if there isn't enough of it.
Some of these hazards are merely irritants and some can be harmful poisons, so it's obviously important to know which airborne material you need to be protected against. There are charts and tables to help you choose.

ProChoice disposable respirators are available with P1 and P2 ratings, and can be purchased with or without Active Carbon Filters.

P1 rated respirators protect against the inhalation of mechanically generated dust particles resulting from tasks such as sanding, grinding and sawing.

P2 respirators protect against mechanically generated particles, but also protect against mists, fumes and vapours arising from jobs such as welding, spraying, painting and garden dusting. Both P1 and P2 type respirators are available with Carbon Activated Filters for protection against nuisance-level organic vapours.

The ProChoice disposable respirator range is colour coded so that you can easily select the correct respirator for the task. The colour code is apparent on the packaging, the nose-piece and valve.

Check the packaging and reference chart, available in the ProChoice catalogue, to ensure you get the maximum protection.