Mask Standards Explained: NIOSH N95 Respirator

Jul 7

While the COVID-19 pandemic drove our economy to the brink of collapse, technological innovation and supply chain perseverance has allowed our nation to stay afloat and reinvent itself. Before this global pandemic, PPE was reserved for hospital facilities and research laboratories, but in this new world, every sector of the economy can only function with implementation of the proper safety equipment and protective gear. Accordingly, many of you are new to purchasing PPE, and could use assistance in making decisions about which products are right for you.

At PRS, our team has a strong technical background in the hard sciences and medical space, and we are here to help guide you through some of the misconceptions in the marketplace.

What is NIOSH?

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) works closely with the Center for Disease Control, acting as the federal agency responsible for recommending safe practices to prevent work related illness.

Standard NIOSH N95

NIOSH N95 Respirators come in all sorts of shapes and sizes with designs including the standard cup/cone model, foldable style, and even novel adhesive (face conforming) respirators.

NIOSH comes to its conclusions based on research and data. The term “N95” is simply a definition developed by this organization to describe the efficiency rating of particulate blockage. N95 Respirators block 95% of particles that are greater than 0.3 microns in size. This particulate filtration efficiency metric can be compared to other testing methods including the ASTM F2100-07, which actually measures the filtration of smaller particles.

That being said, the federal government designation of the NIOSH Approved Respirator carries serious weight and has led it to be the most sought after mask to prevent COVID 19 transmission.

Surgical NIOSH N95

While NIOSH has the ability to deem devices suitable for the workplace, ultimately it is the FDA that is responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of medical devices. To designate an N95 respirator as medical or surgical, it must be approved by the FDA, which is an independent designation from the NIOSH approval.

The medical/surgical respirators approved by both NIOSH and the FDA can be explored through the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource3surgicaln95.html

Sources:

https://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/bioter/n95masks.html

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/n95list1-a.html

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource3healthcare.html#e