Respirators

The Importance of Respiratory Protection

Over the course of 2021 and 2022, there were over 600,000 cases of workers being exposed to harmful substances or environments, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When working in environments with harmful substances, well-fitting respirators and supplied air systems can provide you and your workers with an additional layer of protection from harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and sprays.

Common Sources of Airborne Contaminants

Depending on factors like the amount of harmful substances in the environment as well as their chemical composition, being exposed to airborne contaminants can cause your body to experience symptoms like nausea and dizziness. You can also experience allergic reactions and respiratory distress, which can be potentially fatal, and develop chronic health conditions like certain types of cancer and COPD.

These contaminants are often created from work processes such as working with hazardous chemicals, rotating tools like saws or sanders, and machines with small engines that create gases or vapors from burning oil and fuel. Contaminants can also be found in:

• Dusts from cement, concrete, or silica
• Gases like carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide
• Vapors from ethanol or petrol
• Microorganisms like mold, bacteria, or viruses

The Benefits of Different Respirators

Magid offers a variety of respiratory protection devices, including disposable respirators, flexible half- and full-mask respirators, and powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs). Consider your environment as well as the amount of protection you need to stay safe when determining the right choice for your work environment.

Air-Purifying Respirators

Air-purifying respirators are a category of respiratory protection that use cartridges and filters to remove contaminants from ambient air. Different air-purifying respirators are designed for different hazards:

• Filtering Facepiece Respirators use filters to capture aerosols like dusts, mold, bacteria, and other particulates
• Gas & Vapor Respirators use cartridges to capture gases and vapors found in the air
• Combination Respirators are designed with both types of filters so they can capture both particulate as well as gas and vapor hazards

Filters and cartridges come in different categories and levels for required efficiency in specific environments when wearing a half- or full-face respirator. For example, particulate filters are rated either P95, P99, or P100 to indicate they have the capability to filter at least 95%, 99%, or 99.7% of airborne particles that are .3 microns and larger, respectively.

Atmosphere-Supplying Respirators

Atmosphere-supplying respirators supply clean, high-purity air directly to you, which is especially useful for environments with insufficient oxygen like confined spaces. Common types of atmosphere-supplying respirators include PAPRs and other air supplying respirators that use a hose to deliver clean, safe air from a stationary source (such as an air cart) located away from the jobsite and hazards.

Stock up on respirators and respirator accessories today!