Powered Air-Purfying Respirators

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is working to develop appropriate standards and test procedures for Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPR) used to protect workers in hazardous environments. The eventual PAPR standard will identify minimum performance requirements. Future manufacturers may exceed these requirements through innovative design and application of new technology to achieve competitive market differentiation. In developing a standard it is important to be both protective and allow for new technology. As such, new standards should allow for (and in some cases require) advanced technologies, but should not eliminate existing technologies that continue to meet the needs and protection required for many users. To this end NIOSH is soliciting information relevant to the development of a new PAPR standard through a Request for Information published in the Congressional Record. Topics identified in this document were discussed at several NIOSH public meetings held over the past several years. Additional items are provided as background information.

Pre-Meeting Information

Notice of public meeting; 73 FR 65860; 11/5/08 [PDF - 1,950 KB]

Meeting Information

NIOSH/NPPTL public list of attendees; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 12/2/08 [PDF - 1,400 KB]

Presentation entitled, Concepts for PAPR Gas/Vapor; Certification Evaluation; by King (NPPTL) – 12/2/08 [PDF - 2,413 KB]

Presentation entitled, Powered Air-Purifying Respirator Overview ; by Szalajda (NPPTL) – 12/2/08 [PDF - 2,182 KB]

Presentation entitled, Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Work Rate Evolution, by Vojtko (NPPTL) – 12/2/08 [PDF - 3,895 KB]

Presentation entitled, Evaluation of High-Flow Filter Efficiency Testers for PAPR, by Walbert (NPPTL) – 12/2/08 [PDF - 2,978 KB]

NIOSH/NPPTL public meeting; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 12/2/08 [PDF - 104,977 KB]

Background Information

Presentation entitled, End-of Service Life Program for Personal Protective Equipment at NPPTL – A Summary of Past Presentations; 9/21/11 [PDF - 17,161 KB]

A CMOS MEMS gold plated electrode array for chemical vapor detection; IEEE Sensors 2006; EXCO, Daegu, Korea; 10/22-25/06 [PDF - 1,512 KB]

Optical-fiber-mounted porous silicon photonic crystals for sensing organic vapor breakthrough in activated carbon; Adv Mater; 19:4530-4534; 1/1/07 [PDF - 1,423 KB]

Picogram material dosing of microstructures; J App Physics; 106:104913/7; 1/1/09 [PDF - 1,459 KB]

Robust gold nanoparticles stabilized by trithiol for application in chemiresistive sensors; Nanotechnology; 21:405501 (6pp) ; 9/8/10 [PDF - 1,078 KB]

Volatile organic compound detection using nanostructured copolymers; Nano Letters; 6(8):1598-1602; 7/1/06 [PDF - 1,230 KB]

Inkjet printed chemical sensor array based on polythiophene conductive polymers; Sensors Actuators B 123:651-660; 11/1/06 [PDF - 1,304 KB]

Total inward leakage—an assessment of variation in implementation of anthropometric marking and measurement techniques; presented at AIHCe -- 5/17/11 [PDF - 24,244 KB]

Air purifying cartridge sensor integration approach for active end of service life indication; presented at AIHCe – 5/17/11 [PDF - 14,319 KB]

Multifunction PAPR; NIOSH Contract 200-2202-00531 ; Final report – 9/4/07 [PDF - 76,364 KB]

Using CO2 to determine inhaled contaminant volumes and blower effectiveness in several types of respirators; J Environ Pub Health – 5/15/11 [PDF - 723 KB]

Inward leakage in tight-fitting PAPRs; J Environ Pub Health – 3/16/11 [PDF - 604 KB]

Human subject testing of leakage in a loose-fitting PAPR; J Occup Environ Hyg – 5/1/08 [PDF - 802 KB]

Inhalation flow rates during strenuous exercise; J Int Soc Resp Protection – 9/1/05 [PDF - 900 KB]

Respiratory protective devices – Human factors – Part 1: Metabolic rates and respiratory flow rates; ISO/TS 16976-1 – 1/11/07 [PDF - 2,237 KB]

Submissions in Order of Receipt

Submission to the docket from Korney (Interactive Safety Products, Inc.) – 11/19/08 [PDF - 1,285 KB]

Submission to the docket from Sell (Drager Safety, Inc.) – 12/5/08 [PDF - 324 KB]

Submission to the docket from Savarin (SPERIAN Respiratory Protection USA, LLC) – 12/23/08 [PDF - 631 KB]

Submission to the docket from Sell (Drager Safety, Inc.) – 1/14/09 [PDF - 2,520 KB]

Submission to the docket from DeMedeiros (North Safety) – 1/15/09 [PDF - 1,343 KB]

Submission to the docket from Powe (Safety Equipment Australia PTY LTD) – 1/15/09 [PDF - 2,453 KB]

Submission to the docket from Weber (3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division) – 1/15/09 [PDF - 7,666 KB]

Submission to the docket from Swanson (Mine Safety Appliances Company) – 1/30/09 [PDF - 826 KB]

Submission to the docket from Johnson (Trust. Science. Innovation. Incorporated) – 1/31/09 [PDF - 693 KB]

Submission to the docket from Staubs (Tyco/Scott Health & Safety) – 1/31/09 [PDF - 6,460 KB]

Submission to the docket from Bien (LAO Consulting, Inc.) – 1/31/09 [PDF - 3,867 KB]