Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene
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J Occup Environ Hyg · Jan 2014
A quantitative assessment of the total inward leakage of NaCl aerosol representing submicron-size bioaerosol through N95 filtering facepiece respirators and surgical masks.
Respiratory protection provided by a particulate respirator is a function of particle penetration through filter media and through faceseal leakage. Faceseal leakage largely contributes to the penetration of particles through a respirator and compromises protection. When faceseal leaks arise, filter penetration is assumed to be negligible. ⋯ Relatively, higher efficiency N95 and SM models showed lower TIL values. Filter efficiency of FFRs and SMs influenced the TIL at different flow rates and leak sizes. Overall, the data indicate that good fitting higher-efficiency FFRs may offer higher protection against submicron-size bioaerosols.