Respiratory protection is required for different atmospheric hazards and medical conditions. When you looking to purchase respirators and respirator accessories, it is important to understand the different types of respirators and their use cases to decide on the right accessories for your facility.Respirators are designed to provide protection against potentially hazardous atmospheres. They remove specific air contaminants to supply breathable air for people wearing them.

There are two basic types of respirators – “air-purifying respirators” and “supplied-air respirators.” Air-purifying respirators are the most common and widely used respirators in different medical and factory settings. An air-purifying respirator removes airborne contaminants such as dust, dirt, particles, gases, and toxic vapours. They are suitable for low-level contamination in an environment where there is sufficient oxygen level. On the other hand, supplied-air respirators are designed to supply clean and breathable air for a source in an environment where it is hazardous to breathe in the open air.

Air Purifying Respirators

As mentioned, air-purifying respirators (APR) are used in a variety of settings. The face mask we wear today to protect ourselves from COVID-19 contaminations is a type of air-purifying respirator for safe breathing outside. APRs can be used under the following situations:

• Someone who is physically qualified by a doctor
• Protection against identified contaminants and concentrations
• Too much dust or dirt outside

Air-purifying respirators (APR) are classified into two types depending on the type of contamination and concentration level present in an environment.

Particulate Filtering: Particulate filtering air-purifying respirators are designed to remove particles such as dust, dirt, fumes, mists, aerosols, and other larger particulates from the air. They provide a physical barrier to these particulates and fit loosely over the nose and mouth.

Vapor and Gas Filtering: Vapor and gas filtering types of air-purifying respirators are designed to remove and filter toxic gases and vapor from the air for healthier breathing. A particulate filter cannot filter dissolved gases and vapor from the air. Vapor and gas filters have chemical-containing cartridges or canisters to filter dissolved toxic vapor and gases.

Besides these respirators, air-purifying respirators have four common classes to provide a certain level of protection in specific settings:

Disposable: To provide protection against dust, dirt, and other particulates.

Quarter mask: Comes with cartridges or cloth filters and cover from the top of the nose to the chin to protect against airborne particulates.

Half-mask: Half-mask respirators fit half of your face from above the nose to under the chin to provide better protection.

Full-face: Full-face respirators are designed to cover the entire face to deal with higher contamination levels in the air.

Now that you are more familiar with the different types of air-purifying respirators and how you can use them. You can purchase a wide variety of respiratory accessories online from B&F Medical Supplies as per your specific requirements. Contact us for more details!