Should I be short of breath using while using respirator?

[Greg Rawls]

Couple of questions here:

1) Should I be breathless when wearing a respirator?

Depends on a few things. First of all, all negative pressure respirators depend up your lungs pulling air through a filter which provides resistance, so breathing will be a little more difficult. There are two types: filtering facepieces (throw away type) and elastomeric (cartridge types). Breathing resistance is less through filtering facepieces but they are less effective.

You should have good lung function to wear a negative pressure respirator. We give all employees who wear respirators a spirogram, which measures lung function. If you have asthma, CPD (Chronic Pulmonary Disease), emphysemia, etc., you should consult with your pulmonologist prior to wearing a negative pressure respirator.

2) If you are working with silica, I recommend a P100. This is the best type of respirator to be worn when exposed to dusts. The one you bought is a N95/OV which is less effective against dust, but does provide organic vapor protection.

I have lots of information about respirators on my web site http://www.gregorieglass.com

Greg, the Certified Industrial Hygienist