What type of respiratory protection should I choose?
To avoid inhalation of vapours, dangerous substances and particles, use a respirator. You are particularly exposed if you work with paint, sanding and rockwool, or if you work in stables with a lot of dust as well as in places with cement and lime dust, or you are exposed to bacteria, viruses and fungi. This all sounds unpleasant, but luckily there is a way to avoid it: respiratory protection. In the following, we guide you through the types of respirators that we offer and make it easier for you to choose the right one for you.
A filtering respirator or dust mask
This mask is also called a cup mask or disposable mask. The filtering respirator is located in front of the mouth and nose and has a filter with a valve. The valve helps to reduce heat and humidity inside the mask. With a dust mask, you are the “motor”; i.e., you breathe, and no air / oxygen is added via the engine and hose, just as with a motorized respirator. Filtering respiratory protection filters out particles, but does not supply you with fresh air! It cannot be reused.
There is a difference in how filtering respirators are designed. Some are nose-shaped, some have soft foam rubber as a seal at the nose and a flexible nose clip that reduces fogging on eyeglasses, and some have adjustable straps. You can find all these variants here at Cheap-workwear.com
With us, you can buy FFP2 and FFP3 filtering respiratory protection. For an FFP2 mask, the air inside the mask is 10 times cleaner than the air outside the mask, and for FFP3, the air inside the mask is 50 times cleaner than the air outside the mask. The table below describes the protection offered by each solution.
| What substances do P2 and P3 masks protect against? | FFP2 | FFP3 |
| Pollen | x | x |
| Dust from sanding of quartz-free stone | x | x |
| Sanding of aluminium and plaster | x | x |
| Sanding of wood, metal and plastic | x | x |
| Sanding floors | x | x |
| Sanding old paint | x | x |
| Spray painting with water-based paint | x | x |
| Welding smoke particles from untreated metals | x | x |
| Asbestos fibres (outdoor work only) | x | x |
| Caustic soda ash | x | |
| Sanding of lead, copper and steel | x | |
| Dust from cement and lime | x | |
| Dust from stables, manure and the like | x | |
| Bacteria, fungi, viruses and the like | x | |
| Rockwool dust | x |
Filtering masks and dust masks, all of which are disposable.
Respiratory protection with motor
In a turbo respirator, the engine breathes for you. It takes in toxic air, cleans it and delivers clean air to you. It doesn’t generate oxygen; cleans the air instead. For this you use a main unit with a visor, which seals tightly and supplies oxygen. You can also choose a soft-body unit with a visor that includes a tight seal.
A turbo respirator can be equipped with a motor unit that you wear in the lumbar region. You can also use it with the corresponding braces, so the lumbar area is not burdened with all the weight. In this way, you distribute the weight more efficiently. A hose extends from the motor to the helmet to supply you with purified air. The unit also has a spark arrestor which prevents sparks from entering the mask, and an indicator for both filter and battery capacity.
Just as with the fan in a car, you can place the fan on a motorized respirator. In fact, this type of respirator can deliver more than three times the oxygen that an adult consumes per minute.
If you don’t want to wear the motor unit on your back, there is a model where the motor rests on top of the head; here, the motor and the and main body are integrated in one unit.
Half mask with filter
A half-mask set has a replaceable filter. These are FFP3 filters that trap 99 % dust / toxins. The table further up the page describes the substances against which FFP3 offers protection.
In some half-mask sets, chemical filters can be inserted; these protect against fumes from paints, varnishes, cellulose thinners, PBCs, spray paints, pesticides, turpentine and various types of pressure-impregnating agents.
In other half-mask sets, the filters protect when handling chemicals such as chlorine, hydrochloric acid vapours, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid and ammonia.
Half masks with a filter feature an exhalation valve that reduces moisture and heat inside the mask. They are made of soft silicone, and have adjustable elastic bands to ensure that the mask fits comfortably.
Motorized respirators should be stored in an airtight container when not in use to avoid unnecessary limiting of the life of the carbon filter.
How long can I wear respirators?
You must limit use of a motorized respirator to a maximum of 8 hours a day, and no more, even when you replace the filter/equipment during use! Exceeding this limit puts harmful strain on the body. You use your own breathing strength to draw in air through the filter.
You can wear a respirator with a motor for a whole working day, because it breathes for you and provides you with fresh air, so you do not have to breathe with force.
You can use a half mask with a filter for up to 3 hours per day. Exceeding this limit strains the body, because you must use force to inhale the air through the filter.
A good rule of thumb is to discard the charcoal filter when you start to sense an unusual smell or taste.
We hope that this guide has made it easier for you to choose respiratory protection.
Remember that the product you need to work with has a product data sheet (Section 8.2) that describes the type of mask you need to use.
Do you have an unanswered question about the respirators on our website?
You’re always welcome to contact customer service at info@cheap-workwear.com or telephone +45 9674 2030.
We’re happy to help you.
