How to Choose the Right Respirator

Choosing respirators, filters, and cartridges that fit your Teflon™
coating shop’s needs is very important because respirators come in many
shapes and sizes. You must make a decision between disposable
or reusable respirators, and you must make sure that the respirator is equipped
with the correct cartridge or filter for the respiratory hazards in your work
environment.

Both disposable and reusable respirators can be used to protect you from many harmful
substances. But it’s most critical to make sure you are using the right filter
or cartridge. For dusts, fumes, and mists, use a particulate filter, and for
gasses and vapors, use an appropriate chemical cartridge. Intech offers
all the Teflon™ supplies you need for coating Teflon™ in its online
Shop.

Particulate Filters

• Dusts: Created by sanding, dusting, or
  sweeping some materials.
• Fumes: When metal is heated to its boiling
  point, then cooled again quickly, there will be fumes.
• Mists: Little drops of a sprayed
  material that stay in the air.

Chemical Cartridges

• Gases: Particles that diffuse freely to
  fill the container or area they are in.
• Vapors: Created when liquids evaporate
  (changing from a liquid state to a gaseous state) or solids sublimate (changing
  from a solid state to a gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state all together).

Cartridge Care

A respirator cartridge starts working from the moment you open the
package it was shipped in, whether it is being used occasionally or constantly.
The environment in the facility will determine how long the wearer of the
cartridge is protected from the airborne toxins for which it was designed to
shield him or her from.
There are recommended procedures that management can use to evaluate the
environment, estimate cartridge expiration, and replace in time to assure the
coater’s safety. The cartridge wearer cannot determine when the cartridge
has expired because toxic air has no telltale taste or smell.

Disposable Respirators

Disposable
respirators usually only have particulate filters and are relatively
inexpensive. The benefits of disposable respirators are comfort, lightweight
composition, adjustable straps, and overall economy. Particulate
respirators will filter up to 10 times the applicable exposure limits only
for general dust, steel/manganese alloys, stainless steel, aluminum, and
galvanized steel. Do not use particulate respirators for cadmium or lead. Popular
disposable respirators are the 8210 model, which is
$16.99 for a box and the 8511
respirator, which is $24.99 a box.

Reusable Respirators

Reusable respirators can use either particulate filters or chemical
cartridges in half and full facepieces, but you can replace filters and cartridges
as they’re useful life expires. Filters and cartridges are available for many
applications, and many styles can be adapted to PAPR or Supplied Air Respirator
setups. Popular reusable respirators are the 3M 6000 series and 7000 series,
with cartridges that will filter up to 50 times the exposure limits for all the
contaminants listed below.

The Health Risks

The contaminants listed here have severe potential effects if you
are exposed to them:

• Steel/Manganese Alloys can cause
  pneumoconiosis, siderosis, and central nervous system harm.
• Stainless Steel can cause pneumoconiosis,
  kidney damage, lung irritation, and cancer.
• Aluminum can cause respiratory irritation.
• Galvanized Steel can cause metal fume
  fever.
• Cadmium can cause metal fume fever,
  respiratory irritation, kidney damage, and lung cancer.
• Lead can cause central nervous system
  harm and systemic poisoning.