Dust mask
A dust mask is a flexible paper pad held over the nose and mouth made for protection against chronically toxic nuisance dusts, like from occupational exposure to plant dusts like hay.[1] They are not intended to provide protection from most airborne hazards.[2][3] The European FFP1 mask, the lowest-grade standard available in the jurisdiction, is an example of a dust mask, being only certified to remove ~80% of dusts and mists.[4]
Dust masks are used in environments with dusts encountered during construction or cleaning activities, biological hazards from farming,[1] or sweeping. A dust mask can also be worn in environments with allergens such as tree and grass pollen.[5]
Use[edit]
A notable occupational use of dust masks is in farming, where dust masks are used to avoid the effects of farmer's lung, a disease caused by the inhalation of dusts from agricultural products.[1] The toxicity mainly comes from allergy to mold in the dust, which can lead to lung damage due to the immune response,[6] as opposed to an inherent toxicity in the dust itself.
In a study following treating Farmer's lung with dust masks, the dust mask selected for the study was only tested to a filtration standard of 99.9% filtration of dusts greater than 1 micron (1000 nm).[1]
Regulation[edit]
Europe has a standard for masks whose filtration efficiency goes at or below 90%:
- The FFP1 standard allows up to 22% inward leakage and filtration efficiency of at least 80%.[4]
Some Asian countries have regulations for dust-grade masks intended for everyday civilian use as opposed to occupational use. These include:
- China, GB/T 32610:2016 Archived 2020-12-06 at the Wayback Machine – masks for daily protection
- South Korea, KF80
Dust masks[7] have been certified by the United States Bureau of Mines since the 1930s,[8] until being phased out after the passage of 42 CFR Part 84.[9]
- D or DM respirators, standing for 'dust' and 'dust/mist' approval respectively, without approval for 'fumes,' asbestos, radionuclides, or any certified (30 CFR) HEPA filtration.[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Kusaka, Hirotaka; Ogasawara, Hideki; Munakata, Mitsuru; Tanimura, Kazunori; Ukita, Hideaki; Denzumi, Naomi; Homma, Yukihiko; Kawakami, Yoshikazu (1993). "Two-Year Follow up on the Protective Value of Dust Masks against Farmer's Lung Disease". Internal Medicine. 32 (2): 106–111. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.32.106. PMID 8507920.
- ^ "Do you know the difference between a dust mask and a respirator?" (PDF). University of Alabama at Birmingham. 2016-10-28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-03-29.
- ^ "Dust Mask vs. Respirator". Michigan State University. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15.
- ^ a b "FFP protection levels: FFP1 masks, FFP2 masks, FFP3 masks - Moldex Europe".
- ^ "All you need to know about disposable dust masks". www.hse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ "Farmer's Lung: It Takes Your Breath Away!". Farm Safety Association, Inc.
- ^ Harris, William B. (1957). "Personnel Protection and Personal Hygiene". In Sax, N. Irving (ed.). Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. p. 58.
- ^ Spelce, David; et al. (2019). "History of U.S. Respirator Approval: Particulate Respirators". Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection. 36 (2): 37–55. PMC 7307331. PMID 32572305.
- ^ Herring Jr., Ronald N. (1997). "42 CFR Part 84: It's time to change respirators... but how?". Engineer's Digest. pp. 14–23.
- ^ Spelce, David; Rehak, Timothy R; Meltzer, Richard W; Johnson, James S (2019). "History of U.S. Respirator Approval (Continued) Particulate Respirators". J Int Soc Respir Prot. 36 (2): 37–55. PMC 7307331. PMID 32572305.
External links[edit]
Media related to Dust masks at Wikimedia Commons
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