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PPE: RESPIRATORY PROTECTION The Advantages and Importance of Elastomeric Respirators These reusable and cost-effective masks have been used by workers for years. BY CLAUDIO DENTE Elastomeric respirators are tight-fitting respirators that provide greater-than-N95-level protection and are made to be safely reused for years. You may be hearing more lately about elastomeric masks. These types of reusable rubber half masks are nothing new and have been a staple piece of PPE for many workers across various industries for decades. These types of reusable respirators are reliable, comfortable, cost- effective and safer than any disposable mask on the market. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about them. Elastomeric respirators are made by dozens of manufacturers and typically use N95, N99, N100 or P100 level filters. These are the most common reusable respirators found in homes and workplaces due to the added protection and their cost- effectiveness compared to disposable N95s. They are commonly found in mining, auto repair, construction, agricultural, pharmaceutical and home renovation industries. Rubber half masks like these can be bought online and in local hardware stores. Several provinces have massive stockpiles that were bought for healthcare workers that have been locked up for future pandemics since the first wave. Some elastomeric respirators are made for industrial use while others are made for healthcare workers, teachers and others that need the best protection possible from deadly viruses, wildfire smoke, environmental allergens and more. Facts About Elastomeric Respirators Hospitals have been successfully using reusable elastomeric respirators as superior alternatives to disposable Filtering Facepiece Respirator (FFR) N95s for infection control since 1996. Cities like Winnipeg, MB Canada have been using elastomeric respirators to protect firefighters, police and paramedics from COVID-19 since March 2020. New York stopped buying FFR N95s for firefighters and EMS in November 2020 and upgraded to elastomeric respirators instead. A study by the American College of Surgeons published in June 2020 shows that elastomeric respirators were so well-liked by the thousands of Health Care Workers (HCWs) that used them that after the trial, not one out of the 2,000 HCWs wanted to stop using them and go back to disposable N95s.1 The CDC recommends elastomeric respirators as disposable N95 alternatives during the SARS, H1N1 and the COVID-19 pandemics. A pandemic preparedness plan titled “Roadmap for Living with COVID” was produced under the guidance of former Biden Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board member Ezekiel J. Emanuel. Noted paragraphs in the PPE section include: ■ “The national stockpile should be replenished with elastomeric and powered air-purifying respirators for healthcare workers, which must be deployed immediately as future surges or pandemics occur.” ■ “The supply chain of respirator manufacturing must be considered a national and economic security priority. Where necessary, domestic manufacturing capacity for respirators must be assured.” ■ “Healthcare workers with direct patient care responsibilities should top the priority list for personal protective equipment. They must be provided reusable respirators such as elastomeric half-mask respirators for the remainder of the pandemic.” Advantages of Elastomeric Respirators Elastomeric respirator manufacturers must get their respirators approved by Health Canada and/or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This eliminates the risk of fraudulent and unsafe products flooding the market and ensures high-grade protection that meets safety regulations and requirements. Elastomeric respirators provide better source control than surgical masks and better protection from droplets and airborne transmissions versus surgical masks and N95s. Because elastomeric respirators are made in the U.S. by manufacturers, they can take away our dependency on foreign suppliers, create more jobs for North American workers and prevent disruptions along the domestic supply chain by preventing infections which would also help stabilize the economy and reverse the rise in inflation. The widespread adoption of elastomeric masks can eliminate the need for importing KN95s, which the CDC has said that six out of 10 are counterfeit, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has shown large retailers and pharmacies accidentally selling counterfeit KN95s. Disposable N95 respirators don’t provide an effective seal when reused more than a handful of times. Although disposable respirators meet OSHA requirements for respiratory protection where a half facepiece is needed, the challenge with any disposable respirator is the ability to conduct a proper fit check when entering a hazardous environment throughout the day. NIOSH-approved disposable respirators are unable to continue to provide an effective seal when reused. Consider when a worker who is fit tested on a particular style of N95 disposable respirator goes to work. They must shape the respirator each time they don it to secure a fit. Each time they shape it around their nose, it reduces the integrity of the mask’s structural shape, which prevents it from providing an effective seal. The use of an elastomeric half mask with the appropriate filters will allow the individual to conduct a fit check every time they put on the mask. This will ensure proper fit and protection. Two important studies were conducted to support this. The first, “Effectiveness of Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirators vs N95 Facepiece Respirators During Simulated Resuscitation,” found that 36 participants fitted with EMHR had 0 percent fit failure, and 28 percent of those fitted with an FFR had a fit failure.2 The second case study, “Failure Rates During Reuse of Disposable N95 Masks in Clinical Practice in the Emergency Department,” found that disposable N95 masks have significant failure rates 26 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL/MAY 2023 www.ohsonline.com
