respirator mask

Breathing in acids, gases or fine dust is extremely hazardous to health. The skin problem is that the pollutants mentioned are almost invisible to the air we breathe. A reasonable safety protection respirators offer different filter systems to prevent that they become lungs and blood circulation. For the fine dust there are both the standard baskets as well as half masks with an integrated filter. Which of the different respirator masks is right for you depends on the protection level.

The protection levels for respirators are divided into three categories

FFP1:

Breathing masks classified under level FFP1 offer only a low protective effect. Such breathing masks are generally used for work involving disturbing smoke or dust that is not harmful to health.

• Protection against harmless dust
• Protection against non fibrogenic dust
• maximum 25 % total leakage
• 4 times exceedance of the occupational exposure limit value

The dust masks marked with the level FFP1 are suitable for a working environment where no fibrogenic dust is to be expected. The FFP1 category respirator filters up to 80% of the particles in the air. For occupational health and safety, this respirator may only be used up to a maximum of 4 times the occupational exposure limit.

FFP2:

Level FFP2 respirators offer medium protection against solid, liquid and harmful particles. These respirators are used for most work with power tools and have a sufficient protective effect for it.

• Protection against solid dust harmful to health
• Protection against liquid harmful dust, aerosols and smoke
• Protection against fibrogenic particles
• maximum 11 % of the total leakage
• maximum 10-fold exceedance of the occupational exposure limit values

Fine dust masks labelled FFP2 are ideal for a working environment where the substances used are mutagenic or harmful to health. This category FFP2 respirator must be able to collect at least 94% of the particles in the air. The fine dust masks of protection level FFP2 are used in particular in mining and the metal industry. In these cases, workers are straightened with mist, toxic smoke and aerosols in contact. These substances are the basis for the development of long-term respiratory diseases such as lung cancer. However, the risk of developing secondary diseases such as active pulmonary tuberculosis is also high.

FFP3:

Breathing masks or breathing filters how wonderful the FFP3 safety level is to be classified protect against solid, liquid and above all toxic particles. The FFP3 breathing mask is designed to protect against radioactive substances, arteries, their enzymes and carcinogens.

• Protection against solid dusts harmful to health
• Protection against carcinogenic pollutants
• Protection against radioactive pollutants
• Protection against viruses & bacteria
• Protection against fungal pores
• Maximum 5 % Total leakage
• Maximum 30 times exceedance of the specified workplace limit value

For respirators belonging to protection level FFP3, the user is offered the greatest possible protection. The fact that the total leakage is a maximum of 5 % means that at least 99 % of the particles are filtered The FFP3 class respirator can be used anywhere, primarily in the chemical industry The workplace limit value may not exceed 30 times the maximum

To which protection level the Respirator mask heard, you know him at the departure directly at the respirator mask. The respirator mask can also be colored accordingly. The colour yellow stands for security level FFP1. At the medium safety level, the respirator is marked blue for FFP2. The highest safety level for FFP3 for respirators is marked red.

It special protective power for special applications?

Anyone who processes solvent-containing substances during work should use a special respirator. The special breathing mask is again subdivided into the following criteria:

• Respiratory protection against organic gases and vapours (A)
• Respiratory protection against organic gases and vapours (B)
• Respiratory protection Acids (E)
• Respiratory protection against ammonia (K)
• combine respiratory protection (ABEK)

Which different from breathing masks?

Basket mask:

The basket mask is a fine dust which should be particularly stable. Due to the special stability it can be put on quickly and the fact that we can put on basket mask with one hand makes it very suitable for daily use.

Folding masks:

Anyone who travels frequently and only needs respiratory protection based on category FFP1 from time to time can also use a folding mask. Wrinkle masks can be stored in a space-saving way. Folding masks with sweat-absorbing padding.

Special masks:

The special breathing masks include the half mask and the full mask.

The half mask as well as the full mask offer the most effective protection against dangerous vapours and gases. The protection level of the half mask or full mask depends on the built-in filter. These filters are either permanently integrated or can be replaced lifeless according to your application. will be.

These breathing masks are usually equipped with high-quality filter systems so that breathing resistance can be kept low.

What should I bear in mind when buying a respirator?

Who does not need his respirator mask regularly or not daily, can fall back on the purchase of disposable masks. However, if the respirator mask is used frequently or daily, the purchase of a reusable mask pays for itself in a very short time.

When buying a respirator, you should pay attention to a valve. The valve guarantees that the user has a sufficient oxygen supply and at the same time prevents the glasses from fogging up in leaky places due to the escape of the breathing air.

Of course you have to pay attention to the area in which the respirator should be used. In this respect, the buyer has to deal with the criteria of the protection classes.

The respirator mask – it is impossible to imagine the protection of humans without it.

The respirator has been given a different name depending on its use. In the vernacular it is also briefly called a breathing mask or a gas mask. In civil emergency services such as the fire brigade and the THW, it is also referred to as the NBC protective mask. Today it also bears this name in the military sector. In the NVA of the former GDR, the respirator mask was officially called the troop protective mask. It is an effective protection against all types of toxins that can be absorbed by the body through the air we breathe. The breathing mask is divided into the full mask and the half or quarter masks. A special feature is the particle filtering half mask. The quality of each type of respirator is defined in different standards. These include EN 136, The EN 149 as well as the EN 140. Afterwards they can be manufactured alternatively from silicone or from rubber. Both offer a significantly higher level of safety than the masks that were previously made of leather or textile fabrics. In the case of breathing masks, a distinction is made between models that are dependent on circulating air and models that are not dependent on circulating air. A differentiation is also made between the overpressure mask and the normal pressure mask. The breathing masks are needed by the military, where the soldiers can be protected against poisonous substances and the contents of chemical or biological weapons. The fire brigade cannot do without breathing masks either. Without them in combination with heat-protective clothing, it would be unthinkable for firefighters to be able to save people from burning out houses. The breathing mask is also a useful aid in the field of general occupational health and safety. One only has to think of the cleaning of various tanks where the workers would otherwise be exposed to harmful vapours.

There are different variants of the respirator mask, such as the full mask and the half mask. They are used by the military, by the auxiliary services, but also in occupational safety and health.

The historical development of the respirator mask

The first precursors of the actual breathing mask were already used in mining at the end of the 19th century. There, so-called respirators were used to protect the miners’ airways from the dusts that cannot be avoided when mining ores and coal using underground technology. These were very simple models in which the dust was removed from the breathing air by textile filters. The breathing mask had its first military use in the time of the First World War. Here the troops had to face the consequences of the Attackthe enemy with the first chemical weapons to be protected. This made it necessary to develop new sealing and filter qualities. The first scientist to use carbon filters to purify the breathing air in breathing masks was a Russian named Nikolai Dmitrievich Selinski. His invention dates back to 1915. In World War I, masks were still used, which were mainly made of impregnated textile materials. Many models did not yet have the newly invented carbon filters, but were equipped with a cotton filter or did not have a filter at all. As the war progressed, the respirator developed further. Filters were invented to absorb different types of chemicals. And because horses were still important “war equipment” in World War I, special breathing masks were also developed for them. In World War II the “Volksgasmasken” were developed. They were available in versions for adults and children and were distributed to the civilian population. During this time, the so-called gas protection hoods were also increasingly to be found.

The breathing mask is a further development of the dust protection used in mining. The gas masks became more and more efficient due to new types of filters.

The typical structure of a full face mask

The mask body of a full face mask consists of rubber or silicone. It has either one or two lenses which are connected to the mask body by a sealing frame. Full-face masks with two viewing windows are more widespread, especially for military use, because they can be transported in a more space-saving manner. Furthermore, a full mask has a valve through which the exhaled air is discharged to the outside. They have an inner mask or air ducts through which the fresh air enters. It must first have been Breathing filter passage, which is also a basic component of a full face mask. In addition, there is also a speech membrane and a strapping and optionally a carrying strap. A special form of strapping is able to connect the respirator mask with a safety helmet. They are mainly used by the fire brigade and in military areas. In military breathing masks, the strapping is often replaced by a rubber hood, which is very flexible as a result. Many masks have a carrying strap. With it you can hang it around your neck ready to hand. In aviation, models with a bracket are common, with which they can be hung up within reach. The presence of the inner mask has above all the background to prevent fogging of the windows. The expert speaks of a minimization of the “functional dead space”. Where there is no inner mask, the fresh air is guided along the windows via special air ducts to prevent misting. The full-face mask also includes the respirator hood, which creates a transition from the helmet to the full-face suit. Without these extras, it is used in occupational safety in construction or can be used as an emergency solution for escape purposes. Both semi-rigid and rigid models are widely used for full face masks.

The full mask is made of rubber or silicone and has an inner mask, alternatively an air duct system and one or two viewing windows. A subspecies is the respirator hood.

What characterizes a half mask and a fine dust mask?

The fine dust mask is also referred to in specialist circles as a particle-filtering respiratory protective mask. As a half mask it encloses the nose and mouth of the user. This also limits the areas of application, as they do not provide parallel protection of the eyes from toxins and other toxins like the full face mask. other pollutants. Also the possible sealing is not as effective by the contours of the nose alone as it is possible with a full mask. They are mainly used in the field of occupational health and safety, for example in mining and construction. Alternatively, they are also known as dust masks and are now made entirely of a filtering material. The particulate filtering respirator mask mainly protects the respiratory tract of the wearer against oily or aqueous aerosols. The filter works according to the principle of electrostatics. Since the accumulation of the substances causes an increase in air resistance and thus in the course of time an increased effort is required when breathing, there are very specific regulations as to how long such a fine dust mask may be worn. The classification of the half mask can be found in standard EN 149. She distinguishes the half masks in three classes. In class FFP-1, the leakage at the valve for exhalation is up to 25 percent. This half mask is only suitable for use with fabrics that are not toxic or friable. Here, too, the principle applies that their concentration is not higher than four times what would generally also be permissible in a workplace. The best protection is provided by the FFP3 class half mask, whose leakage must not exceed five percent. It can also be used to protect against radioactive and carcinogenic substances and also protects against the penetration of micro-organisms into the respiratory tract of the user. It can be used at concentrations of up to thirty times what is permissible in a workplace without protective clothing.

The half mask only runs over the nose and mouth. This makes perfect sealing difficult. The half mask is divided into different classes according to the EN standard.

The functionality of the respirator mask

Both modes of operation of the respirator mask are differentiated according to models with regulator and variants with a respirator filter. Half masks, for example, are only available with a respiratory filter. These filters, which mostly operate on the electrostatic principle, are used to filter out dust that accumulates directly on the filter. This has the disadvantage that an increasing resistance to inhalation must be overcome. For this reason, the maximum wearing times specified in the occupational health and safety regulations must be adhered to. Another problem arises when the wearer breathes very flatly. Then not enough air is exchanged and carbon dioxide can accumulate inside the half mask. This creates the danger of unconsciousness, also known as airtrapping in specialist circles. This risk also occurs with circulators that work according to the principle of pendulum breathing. In the case of respirators with a regulator, the user inhales a vacuum inside the mask. The regulator virtually replaces the extracted air with pressure compensation. The average pressure to be achieved for most respirators is between 4.5 and 8 bar. The tracking air flows either through the inner mask or through special air ducts past the window(s) and prevents them from fogging up. If the user exhales, the inhalation valve closes automatically and the exhalation valve opens. A spring load on the exhalation valve maintains an overpressure inside the mask which is usually 3.5 bar. This prevents the penetration of toxins through the exhalation valve and other leaks in the mask. The resistance felt when inhaling is lower with this mask than with the half mask with filter. However, a resistance must be overcome when exhaling. will be.

Breathing masks with regulator require more effort when exhaling. With filter masks, the resistance to inhalation is significantly greater.

What mask systems are there?

The respirator mask distinguishes between systems with normal pressure and with positive pressure. Both have advantages and disadvantages that should be weighed against each other before selection.

The currently used mask systems are divided into the overpressure mask and the normal pressure mask. The normal pressure mask can be recognized by the fact that the coupling for the regulator has a black or blue marking. The same air pressure prevails inside the normal pressure mask as outside. The pressure inside the respirator mask is monitored and corrected by a regulator. With the normal pressure mask, there is a risk that harmful substances can penetrate small leaks. The reason for this is the negative pressure that occurs during inhalation, which must first be compensated by the regulator. On the other hand, the normal pressure mask prevents the loss of large quantities of breathing air. In an overpressure mask, the air pressure is about four mbar above the ambient air pressure. This makes inhalation much easier, which is particularly noticeable during physical exertion. Another positive aspect is the fact that no harmful substances can penetrate through small leaks. This is ensured by the fact that basic physical principles ensure pressure equalization, which takes place from the inside to the outside of the overpressure mask. At the same time, however, there is a disadvantage to be found there. Even small leaks result in an increased consumption of fresh air, which reduces the possible operating times of an overpressure mask. For this reason, special provisions have been introduced, for example for the fire brigade and the military, which allow the real-time monitoring of the Maintain fresh air supply. The improved technical possibilities of monitoring the air supply and the increased protection compared to normal pressure masks have led THW and the fire brigade to increasingly use overpressure systems for respirators in recent years. It is not possible to confuse the connections of the individual types of respirators, as they are equipped with completely different adapters and threads.

What else you should know about breathing masks

The function of the respirator mask can be impaired by wearing glasses or a chin and cheek beard. Both can cause leaks to occur.

As a spectacle wearer, there is always the risk that a respirator mask can leak through the frame of the spectacles. Even the special glasses, which have rubber bands instead of the classic temples, cannot solve this problem satisfactorily. This is remedied by glasses that do not have a classic frame, but are anchored directly in the mask with the help of wire straps. The optimal solution is to use personalized respirators, where the lenses replace the spectacle lenses by grinding them to the diopter strength of the user. However, this fixes the respective respirator on a single user. An exchange, for example, between several firefighters of a train is not possible here. The cost factor also had a negative impact here. The fact that the beard is not allowed by the military and undesirable by the THW and the fire brigade also has something to do with the tightness of the respirator mask.

Polluted air can penetrate between the hairs of the chin and cheek beards. In addition, these leaks caused by the beard affect the correct functioning of the regulators. Such leaks in the beard region can already be detected a few hours after of a profound shave. The fact that the military also uses the term NBC protective mask for breathing masks is due to the fact that it protects against nuclear, biological and chemical contamination of the respiratory tract. However, this is only the case with very modern models. In Austria you can sometimes hear the name “Zuzz” for the breathing mask. This has to do with the fact that the filter reminds a little of a pacifier for babies, and exactly this is called in the vernacular in Austria “Zuzz”.

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