Specification Sheet

1
Respirator Selection Criteria
The 3M
™
Respirator Selection Guide
includes a list of chemicals for which
3M respirators can be recommended.
This information can be used to supplement
general industrial hygiene knowledge.
Once workplace contaminants and their
concentrations have been identied,
the guide can be used to help select an
appropriate 3M
™
Respirator for nearly
700 chemicals with Threshold Limit Values
(TLVs
®
) or other recommended exposure
limits. Because actual conditions vary from
one worksite to another, this information is
intended only as a guide. Selection of the
most appropriate respirator will depend
on the particular situation and should be
made only by a person familiar with the
working conditions and with the benets
and limitations of respiratory protection
products. If you have any questions
related to proper selection and use of 3M
respirators, or the use of this guide, contact
your local 3M PSD representative or call
our 3M PSD Technical Service Line at
1-800-243-4630.
Respirator Program Management
In the United States, where respirators
are in use in the workplace, a formal
respiratory protection program must
be established covering the basic
requirements outlined in the OSHA
Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR
1910.134). Education and training must
be properly emphasized and conducted
periodically. Maintenance, cleaning, and
storage programs must be established and
routinely followed for reusable respirators.
Respirator Fit
The OSHA Respiratory Protection
Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) requires t
testing for all tight-tting respirators.
Whether you select a ltering facepiece
(disposable) respirator or a reusable
respirator, the wearer must obtain
a satisfactory t as indicated by a
qualitative or quantitative t test. Worker
comfort must also be considered.
Removal of the respirator, even for short
periods of time, dramatically reduces the
protection aorded by the respirator.
Protection Factors
The respirator selected must have an
assigned protection factor adequate for
the particular workplace exposure. Divide
the air contaminant concentration by the
occupational exposure limit (OEL) to obtain
a hazard ratio. Then select a respirator with
an assigned protection factor greater than
or equal to that hazard ratio.
Hazard Ratio
Airborne Contaminant Concentration
= OEL