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Respirator facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Air-Purifying Respirator
A half face particulate (air-purifying) mask is generally worn to protect the wearer from dust and paint fumes.
Protection Factors of filtering facepiece, measured in real time during work
Workplace PF of filtering facepiece, measured in real time with two optical dust meters. In-facepiece dust concentration is changed dozens of times in a matter of minutes due to changes of the size of the gaps between the mask and face. Source

A respirator is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous atmospheres, including particulate matter such as dusts and airborne microorganisms, as well as hazardous fumes, vapours and gases. There are two main categories: the air-purifying respirator in which respirable air is obtained by filtering a contaminated atmosphere, and the air-supplied respirator in which an alternate supply of breathable air is delivered. Within each category, different techniques are employed to reduce or eliminate noxious airborne contaminants.

Air-purifying respirators range from relatively inexpensive single-use, disposable face masks sometimes referred to as a dust mask to more robust reusable models with replaceable cartridges often called a gas mask.

Related pages

Images for kids

  • 3M N95 Particulate Respirator

    White, disposable Standard N95 filtering facepiece respirator

  • Influenza virus research

    Lab worker wearing a powered air-purifying respirator

  • N95-respirator-protection-types-508

    Types of respirators by physical form. Click to enlarge.

  • Expedition 64 Crew Qualification Exams (NHQ202009220008)

    Astronaut Kate Rubins wearing a 3M 1860 "surgical N95" respirator

  • Escape-filter Fluchtfilter Dräger-Parat-3200-02

    A simple Dräger escape respirator. This model has no hood, and instead comes with noseclips to ensure the wearer breathes only through the filter.

  • Respirator canister with ESLI for asid gases -1

    Combined gas and particulate respirator filter, type BKF (БКФ), for protection against acid gases. It has a transparent body and a special sorbent that changes color upon saturation. This color change may be used for timely replacement of respirators' filters (like an end-of-service-life indicator, ESLI).

  • Atemluftfilter Einwegmaske

    Filtering facepiece half mask with exhalation valve (class: FFP3)

  • Police officer wearing half-mask respirator

    New York Police Department officer wearing a 3M elastomeric respirator with P100-standard particulate filters in the aftermath of the 2007 New York City steam explosion

  • Medico peste

    Plague doctor

  • John Stenhouse's mask

    Woodcut of Stenhouse's mask

See also

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