3M Tech Update: Children and P2/N95 Respirators

With school holidays nearing the end, parents are questioning what to do with their children when the air quality is still poor.

Does 3M have a P2 or N95 respirator for children in Australia & New Zealand?

Given that poor air quality has been present for such a long time and remains a concern, there are new considerations for the effectiveness and use of the P2 facemasks and with school holidays nearing the end, parents are questioning what to do with their children when the air quality is still poor.

ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The heavy smoke affecting the ACT is expected to continue while fires continue to burn across the border. During this time, the ACT Health Directorate’s advice remains the same.

**Information last updated on 11 January 2020**

Should I wear a face mask to protect myself from bushfire smoke?

Cloth masks are a popular choice - but they're effectively useless against the particles in bushfire smoke. So do I protect myself from bushfire smoke?

Bushfires are part of life in Australia. These fires can produce vast amounts of smoke, off-gases and ash and there is a need to consider the most appropriate ways of providing respiratory protection for those exposed to these contaminants.

Fire decomposes or breaks down materials. The composition of these breakdown products will vary depending on:

• The composition of the burning materials - this can be from many sources
• The ventilation conditions - poor ventilation reduces the available oxygen and changes the makeup of the decomposition products.
• The temperature of the fire.
• Burning produces particles as well as gases and vapours. The gases can often include irritant gases like hydrogen chloride and acrolein.

Smoke is defined in AS/NZS1715:1994 as "particles of low vapour pressure suspended in the air. Smoke is made from the solid and liquid products of combustion. Smoke particles settle slowly under gravity. Normally, the combustion process that produces smoke also produces gases".

The ultimate choice in comfortable, durable protection.

The 3M™ Ultimate FX Full Facepiece Respirator FF-400 For the work you do, comfort and durability are everything. With a soft feel to the face, comfortable head cradle, plus reduced heat and moisture buildup, 3M's Ultimate FX Full Facepiece Respirator delivers premium comfort that lasts as long as you do. And it's the only respirator with 3M's unique Scotchgard™ Paint and Stain Protector, which helps keep the lens dirt-, paint- and stain-resistant - not to mention so much easier to clean.

Artificial stone used to make kitchen and bathroom countertops has been linked to cases of death and irreversible lung injury in workers who cut, grind and polish this increasingly popular material.

Taiwan’s tear gas mask stocks running out

Disposable respirators are most effective when there is a good seal between the edges of the respirator and your face. The instant this seal is broken, protection is compromised as contaminated air can leak in through any gaps.

Read More for fitting instructions.

• The Respirator's Seal

  A good fit means the respirator will seal to your skin. A respirator can only work when air passes through the filter. Air will take the path of least resistance, so if the seal isn’t there, the air will go around rather than through the respirator – and therefore lessen the protection.

• User Seal Check: An Essential Everyday Test

  Employees wearing tight-fitting respiratory protection should perform a seal check each time they put on their respirator. A fit test ensures that the respirator is able to fit and provide a secure seal, but a user seal check ensures that it’s being worn right each time.

  Users can either perform a positive-pressure or negative-pressure seal check:

  • A positive-pressure check means blocking the exhalation valve on a half or full facepiece respirator or covering the respirator surface on a filtering facepiece, usually by using your hands, and trying to breathe out. If slight pressure builds up, that means air isn’t leaking around the edges of the respirator.
  • A negative-pressure check involves blocking the intake valves on a half or full facepiece respirator or covering the respirator surface on a filtering facepiece, typically using your hands and trying to breathe in. If no air enters, the seal is tight.

  See the product User Instructions for more details.

• Compatibility with other PPE

  Safety glasses, hearing protection, face shields, hard hats and coveralls can all vie with a respirator for real estate on a person’s face, head or body. For instance, if a half face respirator doesn’t fit well (especially if it’s too large), it can overlap with glasses. The more that happens, the more fogging can potentially occur on glasses, and the more likely it is that they’ll interfere with the respirator’s seal.

  To catch these problems before they happen on the job any PPE that could interfere with the respirator’s seal to be worn during the fit test.

• Respirator Stability

  The better a respirator fits, the more stable it’s likely to be on the wearer’s face. Fit testing determines the respirator’s ability to retain its seal when the worker is in motion. That’s why test subjects are told to go through several exercises as part of testing. A respirator that shifts during movement may not be able to retain its seal.