Respirators and Dust Masks – Know the Difference

Respirators 

There are two basic types of respirators.

Charcoal Cartridge / Light  and Medium Duty
and
Inline Forced Air (see next page)

Charcoal Cartiridge Masks can do a pretty good job protecting your lungs for short periods of time if they are used correctly.

Each Cartridge system has different products that it can protect you from. If you are spraying pesticides you do not want to use a Cartridge that protects against asbestos or some other particulate. READ THE PACKAGE! The cartridge canisters may look the same but they do not work the same and it may be just as bad as using no protection at all if you buy the wrong filter cartridge.

One or Two Cartridge Masks

The main choice of using a 1 or 2 cartridge mask is  the amount of time that you will be working. Each cartridge has a life time of use and this may be from only a couple hours to many hours. When you use a 2 Cartridge System you extend your work time between cartridge changes and you also allow for better breathing in dusty conditions. If you are painting a car or other large item the paint will clog the filter. By doubling the surface area of the incomming air you increase the time that you can work.

 An additional note is that most cartridges come with a particulate filter pad that is connected to the end of the cartridge. They are a poly cotton blend type material that catches dust and particles like paint. They should always be changed when you change the Cartridge Filter but can also be changed while you are working to allow better air flow. If you are painting a car you might want to change the filter pads after the primer and then again after you paint the top coat.

WHEN TO CHANGE THE FILTERS

You should always protect your filters by placing them in a sealed plastic bag. Exposure to Air will shorten the life of your filters because they will be sitting there filtering room air. You should always change your filters between projects. It is possible to store your filters for days and weeks between use if they are in a sealed container but it is always best to use new filters when you start a new project. Lets say you paint one of your cars and then a couple months later decide that you would want to paint a neighbors car after they like the way your work came out. CHANGE THE FILTERS even if you do not have a strong odor  of paint in the resparator you should not rely on them after you have used them for a large project. CHANGE THE FILTERS IF YOU SMELL PAINT…. If you are using the filters for Painting as we have been describing you should not be able to smell the paint fumes. If you can smell the paint from the time you first start then you need to increase the airflow in the work area. Install a fan to blow clean are into the work area. If the airflow is good in the work area and you begin to smell paint in your respirator after working for some time then change the filters.

This is not rocket science. If you can smell the product that you want to protect yourself against then you are not protecting yourself as good as you should be.

What about things you can’t smell?

 Some people have a very poor sense of smell and other times there are products that you are working with that you can’t smell. In these cases make sure you follow the directions for cartridge replacement times and also remember to change your filters after each big project. If you are breathing through your filters for a whole day then you need to change them. Yes the costs for filters is high but there is a solution use an inline forced air respirator.