Respirator

Definitions:

Respirator mask or we can also call it respirator is a device which can be worn on the
face, at least covering mouth and nose like a mask that we wear in general. It used to protect the
wearer from innhaling hazardous gasses, vapours, fumes, or airborne particles like dust particles
and infectious agents.

Components:

A respirator has many components, there are a face piece, head straps, Inhalation and exhalation
valves, connecting tube, cartridges, canisters or filters.
A respirator can be made from a variety of materials. The most popular face piece materials are
silicone, neoprene, and rubber. Silicone is usually preferred for its comfort, flexibility and ease in
cleaning. Filters used in respirators and medical masks must allow the user to breathe and thus
cannot clog when particles adhere to their fibers. Respirator and medical mask filters are
typically composed of mats of nonwoven fibrous materials, such as wool felt, fiberglass paper, or
polypropylene

Types:
A respirator has so many different types of mask, N95, P100, R95 and etc. which is used
depending on the needs. The name of the respirator type is contains a letter and number. Under
the NIOSH classification system, the letter can be assigned to indicate the degrading effects of
oil on proper respirator function, 'N' rated respirators – stand for Non resistant – can only be used
for particles that do not contain oils, 'R' rated respirators – stand for somewhat Resistant – may
be used in environments that contain oily particles, The "P" rating – for Oil Proof – is said to be
"strongly resistant to oil. The number that follow the letter sometimes assigned to indicate the
precentage of airborne particles filtered.

Works:

Respirators work by either filtering particles from the air, chemically cleaning (purifying) the air,
or supplying clean air from an outside source.