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PPE CASE – Filtration Efficiency Performance of Non-NIOSH-Approved International Respiratory Protective Devices: Phase Two

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2020
NPPTL Report Number P2020-0113

NIOSH evaluations show that 26% of non-NIOSH-approved international respiratory protective devices have inconsistent filtration performance and 60% of assessments found filtration efficiencies less than 95%. The NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator standard is 95%.

Cover page - Filtration Efficiency Performance of Non-NIOSH-Approved International Respiratory Protective Devices: Phase Two

This report summarizes the filtration performance results from the assessments that took place as a result of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and discusses important considerations when purchasing non-NIOSH-approved international respiratory protective devices temporarily authorized for occupational use in the United States.

While these international respiratory protective devices included in FDA’s EUA and OSHA’s enforcement guidelines have similar performance requirements compared with NIOSH-approved devices, NIOSH does not oversee the initial production, regulate sustained manufacturer quality control for these products, monitor post-market quality, or have knowledge about the product’s handling and exposures after leaving the manufacturer’s control. Due to the potential to have these non-NIOSH-approved international respiratory protective devices used by workers in the United States, NIOSH designed a process to assess the particulate filtration performance. The goal of the assessment was to provide consumers of personal respiratory protection devices and other interested parties a point-of-use quantitative assessment of the devices temporarily authorized for use.

As reported in the Phase One PPE CASE report (NPPTL Report Number P2020-0112), NIOSH completed 105 assessments of non-NIOSH-approved international respiratory protective devices from the start of the FDA EUA April 10, 2020 through May 6, 2020. This PPE CASE report (Phase Two) provides the results of 251 NIOSH assessments of non-NIOSH-approved international respiratory protective devices conducted from May 7 through August 17, 2020.

Filtration Efficiency Performance of Non-NIOSH-Approved International Respiratory Protective Devices: Phase Two [PDF – 324 KB]

Suggested Citation

NIOSH [2020] PPE CASE: Filtration efficiency performance of non-NIOSH-approved international respiratory protective devices: phase two. Andrews A, Powers J, Cichowicz J, Coffey C, Fries ML, Yorio PL, D’Alessandro M. Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NPPTL Report Number P2020-0113.