Real-time performance of filtering facepiece respirators at the workplace/Echtzeit-Performance partikelfiltrierender Halbmasken am Arbeitsplatz

Abstract

The efficacy of a respirator under real workplace conditions is presented by its workplace protection factor (WPF). The aim of this study was to assess a portable measuring system for the determination of WPF for particulate filtering facepiece respirators. WPFs of CE-marked FFP2 and FFP3 filtering facepiece respirators were measured as a pilot test conducted at two workplaces: an inter-company training facility and a paper mill, with a total of seven test subjects. Each subject was quantitatively fit tested prior to the field measurements. Two TSI PortaCount instruments measured the particle concentrations simultaneously and continuously inside and outside the respirator for 15 min, with three repetitions. The results of the fit test (overall fit factor) ranged from 22 to 199. Individual WPF results ranged from 16 to 568 for FFP2 respirators, and from 13 to 232 for FFP3 respirators. The geometric means (GM) of the WPF were 135 with a 5th percentile value of 37 (FFP2), and 47 with a 5th percentile value of 12 (FFP3). This pilot test provides a new method of evaluating the workplace performance of filtering facepiece respirators.