Best respirator for working in parking garage?
October 5, 2022 5:28 AM Subscribe
Looking for the best lung protection (respirator mask) for working in a parking garage. Is a chemical cartridge respirator the way to go?
I recently got a job working in a parking garage. Long story but I’m able to earn well by working my remote day job on my laptop concurrently, and the dual income is useful for my financial goals.
The exhaust fumes down there are normal for a garage, but obviously bad for health. I’m looking for a respirator mask I can reuse and wear every day for a few months while I’m working. I’ve heard that chemical cartridge respirators are the most effective against fumes and such, but I don’t know what kind to get. I’ve read that effectiveness against carbon monoxide can be limited since it’s too similar to oxygen. And I’d also want to make sure that the mask wouldn’t cause health issues from deprivation of oxygen, especially if I’m wearing it for hours at a time every weekday.
Can anyone suggest the right protection to use in this situation? If it’s best for me to just quit the job, that’s also an option, but I’d like to hold it for at least a couple of months if possible (if not four months or longer).
I recently got a job working in a parking garage. Long story but I’m able to earn well by working my remote day job on my laptop concurrently, and the dual income is useful for my financial goals.
The exhaust fumes down there are normal for a garage, but obviously bad for health. I’m looking for a respirator mask I can reuse and wear every day for a few months while I’m working. I’ve heard that chemical cartridge respirators are the most effective against fumes and such, but I don’t know what kind to get. I’ve read that effectiveness against carbon monoxide can be limited since it’s too similar to oxygen. And I’d also want to make sure that the mask wouldn’t cause health issues from deprivation of oxygen, especially if I’m wearing it for hours at a time every weekday.
Can anyone suggest the right protection to use in this situation? If it’s best for me to just quit the job, that’s also an option, but I’d like to hold it for at least a couple of months if possible (if not four months or longer).
Pretty much any properly fitted half mask isn't going to cause health issues unless you already have respiratory issues. The serious health risk in your situation is probably actually particulates which any p100 filter cartridge will handle. Something like a 3m 2097 is also effective against nuscence level organic vapours.
If you do have breathing problems a power respirator like a PAPR can take the same cartridges but provides positive air pressure.
I believe filtering CO is much more expensive, like it would cost you 50-100 dollars a day for cartridges.
posted by Mitheral at 6:31 AM on October 5, 2022
If you do have breathing problems a power respirator like a PAPR can take the same cartridges but provides positive air pressure.
I believe filtering CO is much more expensive, like it would cost you 50-100 dollars a day for cartridges.
posted by Mitheral at 6:31 AM on October 5, 2022
This might be obvious, but if your employer is asking you to work in an environment that requires PPE, they need to provide it. You might think, no big deal, I can just quit this job rather than push my employer on this. But there will always be other workers who have to work in an environment without clean air, including the person who replaces you. If the employer is asking you to work in unsafe conditions and the job is somewhat expendable to you, this is an opportunity to make it safe for others by stating your needs to your employer.
posted by Secretariat at 7:55 AM on October 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by Secretariat at 7:55 AM on October 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
I'm going to second that the worst things you'll be exposed to are diesel particulates, which need P100 or HEPA to protect against. Not the most comfortable to wear full time, and you're exposed to those same things when you drive in traffic.
I recommend the small powered air respirators available on Amazon as a compromise. They're very comfortable and claim HEPA filtration (though not constructed well enough for actual nuclear use, they're probably as good as N95 at least). If you still smell fumes then you could probably wrap it with carbon filter medium. But it's quite comfortable to wear and investment cost is low.
posted by flimflam at 9:35 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
I recommend the small powered air respirators available on Amazon as a compromise. They're very comfortable and claim HEPA filtration (though not constructed well enough for actual nuclear use, they're probably as good as N95 at least). If you still smell fumes then you could probably wrap it with carbon filter medium. But it's quite comfortable to wear and investment cost is low.
posted by flimflam at 9:35 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you everyone. My employer has OK’d purchasing the PPE. I’m torn now between the carbon filter mask linked above, and a P100 particle mask which was recommended here twice.
Can anyone link compelling evidence as to why one is better than the other?
posted by hot_tea at 12:12 PM on October 5, 2022
Can anyone link compelling evidence as to why one is better than the other?
posted by hot_tea at 12:12 PM on October 5, 2022
Your link is borked but assuming you were linking to a silicone/rubber half mask: the half mask is going to seal much better and therefor be more effective. It has an exhaust valve which greatly reduces glasses fogging if that is an issue. However it is less comfortable than a well fitting disposable mask and if you have to interact with the public it is pretty far out of the expected which could cause awkwardness.
posted by Mitheral at 12:30 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by Mitheral at 12:30 PM on October 5, 2022
Response by poster: Ah, borked. This is the one.
Would disposable masks (KN95, etc) be effective for my use case?
The awkwardness factor was my main reason for not springing for the small powered air respirator described above. I could only find full face masks attached to small machines, which I think would (admittedly amusingly) startle people.
But I’m okay with being awkward and even a bit uncomfortable if it means I’m actually staying safe.
posted by hot_tea at 2:11 PM on October 5, 2022
Would disposable masks (KN95, etc) be effective for my use case?
The awkwardness factor was my main reason for not springing for the small powered air respirator described above. I could only find full face masks attached to small machines, which I think would (admittedly amusingly) startle people.
But I’m okay with being awkward and even a bit uncomfortable if it means I’m actually staying safe.
posted by hot_tea at 2:11 PM on October 5, 2022
N95 and KN95 are respirator certifications that say it must filter at least 95% of particles, and so is P100 - that one means it must filter at least 99.97% of particles. So they'll both filter particles if that's your objective.
The mask you linked to is a combination P100 / organic vapors (OV) respirator. It's obviously heavier and bulkier than a disposable N95-type respirator, and heavier/bulkier than just a P100-only respirator. I'm not sure why you brought it up if you're concerned about how it would startle people, because it absolutely would. Also, they are hard to communicate in since they muffle speech quite a bit.
Whether reusable respirators are more comfortable or not is not a simple answer. Everyone's face is different. Every single N95 and reusable respirator fits differently. N95 respirators sometimes come in sizes (usually "normal" and "small"). Reusable respirators generally have small/medium/large sizing. There's no way to tell what works for you based on pictures. If you were required to wear a respirator as part of your job (it sounds like you are clearly not required), the employer is required to find and purchase for you a respirator that you can pass a fit test in for you to work in the hazardous area. And you would be required to learn how to properly put on/take off the respirator, cleaning protocols, safety checks, rest breaks, replacement intervals, etc.
posted by meowzilla at 4:02 PM on October 5, 2022
The mask you linked to is a combination P100 / organic vapors (OV) respirator. It's obviously heavier and bulkier than a disposable N95-type respirator, and heavier/bulkier than just a P100-only respirator. I'm not sure why you brought it up if you're concerned about how it would startle people, because it absolutely would. Also, they are hard to communicate in since they muffle speech quite a bit.
Whether reusable respirators are more comfortable or not is not a simple answer. Everyone's face is different. Every single N95 and reusable respirator fits differently. N95 respirators sometimes come in sizes (usually "normal" and "small"). Reusable respirators generally have small/medium/large sizing. There's no way to tell what works for you based on pictures. If you were required to wear a respirator as part of your job (it sounds like you are clearly not required), the employer is required to find and purchase for you a respirator that you can pass a fit test in for you to work in the hazardous area. And you would be required to learn how to properly put on/take off the respirator, cleaning protocols, safety checks, rest breaks, replacement intervals, etc.
posted by meowzilla at 4:02 PM on October 5, 2022
Response by poster: Ok — I’m going off of the two comments above concurring that a particle filter is the best for my use case. I haven’t been able to find a comparison of how a KN95 or P100 compares to the carbon filter mask for my use case — safety being the highest priority.
> I'm not sure why you brought it up if you're concerned about how it would startle people, because it absolutely would.
I was talking about the small powered air respirator with the full face mask/hose, which definitely gives off a “hazmat” vibe. The half face mask is an acceptable level of awkward, especially in a garage setting. It just looks like I’m painting something.
Comfort level and awkwardness (and muffled speech, I suppose) are lower priorities than safety. You’re right that I’m not required to wear it for the job, so none of these requirements are applicable.
posted by hot_tea at 4:14 PM on October 5, 2022
> I'm not sure why you brought it up if you're concerned about how it would startle people, because it absolutely would.
I was talking about the small powered air respirator with the full face mask/hose, which definitely gives off a “hazmat” vibe. The half face mask is an acceptable level of awkward, especially in a garage setting. It just looks like I’m painting something.
Comfort level and awkwardness (and muffled speech, I suppose) are lower priorities than safety. You’re right that I’m not required to wear it for the job, so none of these requirements are applicable.
posted by hot_tea at 4:14 PM on October 5, 2022
Response by poster: Update that I’d showed my manager the type of mask I was looking at, and he went ahead and bought it. So am OV/P100 is where I landed. Seems like this will work for my needs, but am open to any other education on this subject people are willing to drop here. Thanks again!
posted by hot_tea at 9:54 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by hot_tea at 9:54 PM on October 5, 2022
If you are working from a "box/room/office/booth" (instead of out in the open), you may want to consider the use of an air purifier (with the appropriate type of filter). Also keep in mind to change your mask if your initial decision doesn't end up working for you. A "higher filtration level mask" that fits you poorly (or is worn rarely) may provide lower protection than a "lower filtration level mask" that fits well and is consistently worn.
posted by oceano at 11:39 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by oceano at 11:39 PM on October 5, 2022
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BMW and Ford use these masks in their US factories.
posted by BadgerDoctor at 6:18 AM on October 5, 2022 [5 favorites]