What is a Respirator?

A respirator is a device to protect you from inhaling dangerous substances, such as chemicals and infectious particles. There are several different types of respirators, as described below.

Escape Respirators

Escape respirators are designed to be used only in an emergency, and only to escape from a dangerous area to a safe area. There are several escape respirators on the market. Many of them use a hood with a neck seal instead of a facepiece. They are typically designed for one-time use for a short period, typically 15 minutes to 1 hour. They may be available in a variety of sizes and will fit most adults. Individuals with small or very large neck sizes may not be able to use some escape hood designs-check the supplier product information before purchasing.

Particulate Respirators

Particulate respirators are the simplest, least expensive and least protective of the respirator types available. These respirators only protect against particles. They do not protect against chemicals, gases, or vapors, and are intended only for low hazard levels. The commonly known "N-95" filtering face piece respirator is one type of particulate respirator, often used in hospital to protect against infectious agents. Particulate respirators are "air-purifying respirators" because they clean particles out of the air as you breathe. Even if you can't see the particles, there may be too many in the air for this respirator to provide adequate protection.

Chemical Cartridge/Gas Mask Respirator

 Gas masks are also known as "air-purifying respirators" because they filter or clean chemical gases and possibly particles out of the air as you breathe. This respirator includes a face piece or mask, and a filter/cartridge (if the filter is in a metal shell it is called a "canister"). Straps secure the face piece to the head. The cartridge may have a filter to remove particles (such as a biological weapon), charcoal (to remove certain chemicals), both, or other parts. When the user inhales, air is pulled through the filter.

Gas Masks are effective only if used with the correct cartridge or filter (these terms are often used interchangeably) for a particular biological or chemical substance. Selecting the proper filter can be a complicated process. There are cartridges available that protect against more than one hazard, but there is no "all-in-one" filter that protects against all substances. You need to know what hazards you will face in order to be certain you are choosing the right filters.