Concept

Powered air-purifying respirator

A powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is a type of respirator used to safeguard workers against contaminated air. PAPRs consist of a headgear-and-fan assembly that takes ambient air contaminated with one or more type of pollutant or pathogen, actively removes (filters) a sufficient proportion of these hazards, and then delivers the clean air to the user's face or mouth and nose. They have a higher assigned protection factor than filtering facepiece respirators such as N95 masks. PAPRs are sometimes called positive-pressure masks, blower units, or just blowers. The modularity of PAPRs allows them to be customized for different working environments. Regardless of type, a PAPR consists of: some kind of headgear (mask or hood), a powered (motor-driven) fan which forces incoming air into the device, a filter (or multiple filters) for delivery to the user for breathing, and a battery or other power source. The mask may be hard and tight-fitting, or flexible and loose-fitting. The former affords a higher level of protection, but is less comfortable. Tight-fitting PAPRs require a fit test, while loose-fitting ones do not. This makes loose-fitting PAPRs useful when a fit test for a tight-fitting respirator cannot be successfully passed, for example when facial hair is present. Masks may be reusable or disposable. Some masks allow the full face to be seen by others, aiding in interpersonal communication. The fan, filter, and power-pack may be carried around freely by the user, often secured by a belt around the waist. Alternatively, with certain units, the air is fed to the user via lengthy tubing while the fans and filters are remotely mounted. PAPRs have low breathing resistance, unlike filtering facepiece respirators such as N95 masks. A PAPR may have adjustable air flow rates for added comfort. While they are often referred to as positive pressure masks, they are not true positive-pressure devices as overbreathing can overcome the pressure supplied by the fan.

Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_air-purifying_respirator

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Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_air-purifying_respirator

About this result

Related publications (8)

Reanalysis of mtDNA mutations of human primordial germ cells (PGCs) reveals NUMT contamination and suggests that selection in PGCs may be positive

Konstantin Popadin

The resilience of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) to a high mutational pressure depends, in part, on negative purifying selection in the germline. A paradigm in the field has been that such selection, at least in part, takes place in primordial germ cells ...

Elsevier Sci Ltd2023

Modified full-face snorkel masks as reusable personal protective equipment for hospital personnel

Patrick Gerber, Mélanie Thérèse Marie Hannebelle, Nitin Arora

Here we adapt and evaluate a full-face snorkel mask for use as personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, who lack appropriate alternatives during the COVID-19 crisis in the spring of 2020. The design (referred to as Pneumask) consists of ...

2021

Photocatalytic Nanowires-Based Air Filter: Towards Reusable Protective Masks

László Forró, Endre Horvath, Andrzej Sienkiewicz, Caroline Lehmann

In the last couple decades, several viral outbreaks resulting in epidemics and pandemics with thousands of human causalities have been witnessed. The current Covid-19 outbreak represents an unprecedented crisis. In stopping the virus' spread, it is fundame ...

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH2020

Related concepts (6)

Respirator fit test

A respirator fit test checks whether a respirator properly fits the face of someone who wears it. The fitting characteristic of a respirator is the ability of the mask to separate a worker's respiratory system from ambient air. This is achieved by tightly pressing the mask flush against the face (without gaps) to ensure an efficient seal on the mask perimeter. Because wearers cannot be protected if there are gaps, it is necessary to test the fit before entering into contaminated air. Multiple forms of the test exist.

N95 respirator

An N95 filtering facepiece respirator, commonly abbreviated N95 respirator, is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) N95 classification of air filtration, meaning that it filters at least 95% of airborne particles that have a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 0.3 micrometers. This standard does not require that the respirator be resistant to oil; another standard, P95, adds that requirement.

Respirator assigned protection factors

The respiratory protective devices (RPD) can protect workers only if their protective properties are adequate to the conditions in the workplace. Therefore, specialists have developed criteria for the selection of proper, adequate respirators, including the Assigned Protection Factors (APF) - the decrease of the concentration of harmful substances in the inhaled air, which (is expected) to be provided with timely and proper use of a certified respirator of certain types (design) by taught and trained workers (after individual selection with a tight-fitting mask and fit testing), when the employer performs an effective respiratory protective device programme.