Quantitative Fit Testing of Respirators: Past, Present, Future

A survey was administered to 385 noise-exposed workers from an auto parts factory and 1268 non-noise-exposed health department employees in China. Individual 8 h A-weighted equivalent sound levels (LAeq,8h), earplug personal attenuation ratings (PARs), and pure-tone audiometric tests were performed. The average LAeq,8h of noise-exposed workers was 87 dB (A) with a mean PAR of 7 dB. The prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss was 65% for noise-exposed workers and 33% for the non-noise-exposed employees. The use of earplugs had no observable effect on the prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss of the study participants (OR 0.964, 95% CI 0.925–1.005, p = 0.085). No significant relationship between the effectiveness offered by earplug use and high-frequency hearing thresholds at 3, 4, and 6 kHz was found (t = −1.54, p = 0.125). The mandatory requirement of earplug use without individualized training on how to wear HPDs correctly had no detectable effect on the prevention of hearing loss at the auto parts factory. The hearing conservation program at the surveyed factory was not effective. Periodic hearing tests, earplug fit testing, expanding the offer of different types of hearing protection, and employee education about the importance of protecting their hearing were recommended to the occupational health and safety program.

Download Full-text

Comparative analysis of N95 respirators fit testing with commercially available and in house reagent

Infection Prevention in Practice ◽

10.1016/j.infpip.2021.100116 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100116

Author(s):

Erum Khan ◽

Joveria Farooqi ◽

Humaira Shafaq ◽

Kaleem Ullah Khushik ◽

Syed Shamim Raza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Fit Testing ◽

N95 Respirators

Download Full-text

Fit testing troubles?

BDJ ◽

10.1038/s41415-021-2747-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 230 (4) ◽

pp. 184-184

Author(s):

K. Shah ◽

D. Bentley

Keyword(s):

Fit Testing

Download Full-text

Verifying earplug attenuation and evaluating the effectiveness of one‐on‐one training along with earplug fit testing at nine facilities in China

American Journal of Industrial Medicine ◽

10.1002/ajim.23270 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wei Gong ◽

Jingjing Zhang ◽

Xin Liu ◽

Enmin Ding ◽

Baoli Zhu

Keyword(s):

Fit Testing

Download Full-text

Fit Testing Retrofitted Full-Face Snorkel Masks as a Form of Novel Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2021.133 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Stephanie Toigo ◽

Michel Jacques ◽

Tarek Razek ◽

Ewa Rajda ◽

Sidney Omelon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Centre ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Test Results ◽

Passing Rate ◽

Fit Testing ◽

Full Face ◽

Medical Grade

ABSTRACT Objective: Bottlenecks in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain have contributed to shortages of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in fractures in the functionality of healthcare systems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of retrofitted commercial snorkel masks as an alternative respirator for healthcare workers during infectious disease outbreaks. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed, analyzing qualitative and quantitative fit test results of the retrofitted Aria Ocean Reef® full-face snorkeling mask on healthcare workers at the McGill University Health Centre between April-June 2020. Historical fit test results, using medical-grade respirators, for healthcare workers were also analyzed. Results: During the study period, 71 participants volunteered for fit testing, 60.6% of which were nurses. The overall fit test passing rate using the snorkel mask was 83.1%. Of the participants who did not previously pass fit testing with medical-grade respirators, 80% achieved a passing fit test with the snorkel respirator. Conclusions: The results suggest that this novel respirator may be an effective and feasible alternative solution to address PPE shortages, while still providing healthcare workers with ample protection. Additional robust testing will be required to ensure that respirator fit is maintained, after numerous rounds of disinfection.

Download Full-text