respirator sizing

[peter kolb]

I would like to purchase a half mask respirator. I am confused about the sizing.
the ones I'm looking at come small, medium and large. How do I know which one will fit me? My purchase will either be via the internet or mail order. Thanks for your help Peter

[Johnny Fischer]

I would like to purchase a half mask respirator. I am confused about the sizing.
the ones I'm looking at come small, medium and large. How do I know which one will fit me? My purchase will either be via the internet or mail order. Thanks for your help Peter

Peter,
You need to go to a local home improvement store and try this procedure out. Unfortuneately, Home Depot only carries med. sizes so you may have to eventually go to a local auto paint supplier company.
When fitting on respirators there is 2 test which must be performed to find an adequate fitting respirator.
These tests are called positive fit and negitive fit.
First of all you need to be cleanly shaved, no beards or goats.
Put the respirator on, cup your hands over the filters and press blocking all air passage from escaping. Blow into the respirator,. No air should escape the respirator from around your face, or any where else.
Positive Fitting test, do the exact thing as above but inhail. If air enters the respirator then you will need to try on a smaller one until no air enters or escapes during these test procedure.
If air enters or escapes from the respirator then you will get a lung full of whatever your spraying.
Good luck

[Rick Gifford]

Mr. Fischer is dead on. A respirator needs to be fit tested. One brand will fit different than another as well. Please dont order from the internet shooting from the hip or you might end up with one that doesnt seal well... then it's worthless to you.

Try a local BORG, and have a worker help you with a selection. They usually will open any packages for you knowing they need to be fit first (assuming you get a knowledgible worker that is...).

[Matt Meiser]

When I bought mine a few years ago, Sherwin Williams carried multiple sizes of the 3M 6000 series. I assume they still do.

[Jolene Verlanic]

Being a nurse I felt that I could add something to this discussion.

Johnny Fischer is correct about the positive and negative pressure checks and facial hair, but the pressure checks have more to do with wearing the mask at the moment and not if it actually fits you.

I would recommend that you find a facility that performs Respirator Fit Testing and go to them before you buy any mask. They should give you a pulmonary function test to make sure that you can safely wear a respirator. They should also perform either a quantitative (a fit test that is measured as you go through 8 different exercises, very objective and the gold standard) or a qualitative (a fit test involving an irritant smoke being blown around you while you wear a mask to see if you can smell it, very subjective). They should also be able to instruct you on the proper way to wear the respirator and how to take care of it. This should be done on a yearly basis, when you lose or gain a significant amount of weight or when you are not getting your mask to seal when you perform the positive and negative pressure checks.

In regards to facial hair, any hair that comes between the sealing surface of the mask and your face or interferes with the expiration valve will negate the purpose of the mask. If you are in doubt, shave, it will grow back.

I will leave you with a little food for thought. It is not only you who would suffer if you were to choose not to wear a respirator or wear one incorrectly and die from a lung disease, those you leave behind will suffer mentally a lot longer. My case in point is my Grandfather, a carpenter who worked with a lot of concrete, wood and the dust from both. He suffered for 6 years, not being able to breathe, finally dying 10 years ago this month from pulmonary fibrosis. I have lost track of how many times I wish that he was still here. I wish the LOML would have gotten the chance to meet him as they are so much alike that it is almost creepy, that he would have had the chance to hold his Great Grandchildren, that he was still here to oversee our addition to our house, that he was still here to see what my Father has accomplished and many many more things.

So whatever you chose make sure that it is right for you and your family. If you have any more questions about respirators or hearing protection I would be happy to assist.

[Jamie Buxton]

If going to a store, or finding one which will cooperate with you, is difficult, buy several sizes over the web. Test-fit them at home and throw away the ones that don't. The face pieces only cost $10 or so.

Think of it this way. Your first respirator will cost $30 -- $10 for the one you keep and $20 for the two you throw away. Is $30 a good price for protecting your lungs? For me, that's a no-brainer.

[Pat Germain]

I think Jamie's suggestion is the most practical. All the respirators I saw at my local Borg weren't the type I wanted. They were also all in clamshell packaging which makes test fitting impossible.

I ordered a medium from Amazon.com and it fits very well. I guess I got lucky.

[John Newell]

I read and thought about this before I recently ordered a respirator. All the stuff above is right. In the end, I took a guess and ordered a 3M 7500 series in large, even though I had a feeling that medium was more likely to fit well. The large passes all of the fit tests with flying colors, so I guess I got lucky... (FWIW, I have no facial hair to worry about.)

In any case, if it doesn't fit well, there's no point wearing it...

[Ben Rafael]

Is there a Grainger in your neck of the woods?
They have the best selection of different types and in many different sizes, I've never seen any place else even come close.

[peter kolb]

Thanks everybody Peter:)

[Ray Schafer]

Where can you go to get these tests?

[Scott Loven]

What do you want to use it for, for how long?
Most men use a large, some use a medium in my experience.

Scott

[Scott Loven]

Where can you go to get these tests?
A doctor/clinic that specializes in Occupational medicine.
OSHA requires a physical if you are going to be required to wear a respirator at work.

[Ken Ganshirt]

Where can you go to get these tests?
Check your Yellow Pages for a safety supply store. They will have access to a good selection of products and can direct you someplace for the tests if they do not administer them themselves.

...ken...