Re: Where did my posts go

Posted by Terry Mcadams on Nov 29, 2004

Sorry for the late response, Lee. Holidays and such.

Anyhow, the problem may have been the fit. Full face respirators are tricky to fit right. You can always do the quicky-at-home fit test of donning the mask, tightening the straps (evenly) then covering the cartridges with your hands while you inhale. This is a fair, seat-of-the pants way to fit test and I always do it before I don my mask. Problem is, in use while breathing normally, the mask seal will be looser and get looser as the straps loosen and/or you start moving around your jaw. This is where a qualitative/quantitative test helps. The problem with that is it may indicate you need a different brand of respirator, (3M, MSA, Scott, e.g.) as they all fit differently.

Other problems can be failure to clean the mask and store it in a sealed bag (which can increase interior contamination and reduce cartridge life) and not changing the cartridges frequently. The smell test for cartridges is not adequate and they should be changed daily for full-day use. This can get expensive, but worth it if you're doing a lot of epoxying in a confined space.

So the full-face is not a panacea for exposure related problems, but, in my opinion, still far better than a half-face for many and probably most exposures.

good luck

terry

In Response to: Re: Where did my posts go by LeeG on Nov 23, 2004

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