Respirators for outdoor exercise in bad air?
December 5, 2024 8:59 PM Subscribe
What reusable (not disposable) masks are comfortable and suitable for hard exercise outdoors in a place that has bad air quality due to particulates?
This isn’t about Covid, it’s only about exercising outdoors in a place with bad air.
This isn’t about Covid, it’s only about exercising outdoors in a place with bad air.
I've been using the 3M half masks with the replacable big plug on filters, for work for years.
I've not tried vigerous exercise in them yet, but lots of physical exersion through labourous lifting etc in some of my work, amd they do well. Plus you can select from a bunch of filters most appropriate to your needs (plus a couple of N95s stuck on the outside for good measure).
I know trying to do the same in regular covid style Aura N95s makes them block up with exhaled moisture, whereas the commercial masks have exhale valves (as do some N95s now apparently), that make heavy work a lot easier to breathe through.
And if you're doing sustained work, the condensation will just start dripping out, which is kind of odd, but it has to go somewhere.
I would recommend a sanitising spray on the inside after exercise (one that also won't damage the mask material).
But otherwise, only the external filters need replacing every so often (depending on what you're otherwise breathing in).
posted by many-things at 1:35 AM on December 6 [1 favorite]
I've not tried vigerous exercise in them yet, but lots of physical exersion through labourous lifting etc in some of my work, amd they do well. Plus you can select from a bunch of filters most appropriate to your needs (plus a couple of N95s stuck on the outside for good measure).
I know trying to do the same in regular covid style Aura N95s makes them block up with exhaled moisture, whereas the commercial masks have exhale valves (as do some N95s now apparently), that make heavy work a lot easier to breathe through.
And if you're doing sustained work, the condensation will just start dripping out, which is kind of odd, but it has to go somewhere.
I would recommend a sanitising spray on the inside after exercise (one that also won't damage the mask material).
But otherwise, only the external filters need replacing every so often (depending on what you're otherwise breathing in).
posted by many-things at 1:35 AM on December 6 [1 favorite]
I also do semi heavy labour in a 3m half mask for which the are fine. Obviously terribly unfashionable and they do add some weight/bulk to your face.
People picture them with the big tuna can like filters but I only need P100 disks which are way lighter, cheaper and less restrictive. Essentially disposable n95 like material but there is more surface area and they stay dry so easier to breath thru.
There are a few different model variants of the P100 but any of them are fine for particulates like wood smoke or road dust.
posted by Mitheral at 5:26 AM on December 6
People picture them with the big tuna can like filters but I only need P100 disks which are way lighter, cheaper and less restrictive. Essentially disposable n95 like material but there is more surface area and they stay dry so easier to breath thru.
There are a few different model variants of the P100 but any of them are fine for particulates like wood smoke or road dust.
posted by Mitheral at 5:26 AM on December 6
I repeatedly reused my 3M 8511s during the August 2012 Chips Fire. The exhaust valve sufficiently mitigated heat buildup when cycling in the foothills but was outmatched by Central Valley heat. The molded cup would keep its shape through several workouts unless crammed into a pocket or bag, and the M-shaped nosepiece formed a tight enough seal that I wouldn't notice the smoke until I lowered the mask to drink water. During the 2020 fires, I sometimes wore an MSA 200 half-face but wound up fouling the prefilters so quickly that I went back to 8511s. Flexi-filters might have worked better with their larger surface area and lesser pressure drop. Recently I have been wearing Dräger 1750s due to excessive pile buring in my area. The unvalved masks have been fine in the cool weather and actually help in the cold but would not be my choice in the heat. Perhaps because I have strong lungs and a lousy upper airway, I have not found N95 respirators a hindrance on sharp climbs or sustained climbs with a load. And unlike the heavy half-face, I generally forget I'm wearing a filtering facepiece unless I get a faint whiff of diesel exhaust. Yes, sustained exertion in an elastomeric respirator does mean persistent condensation within. If that's what you want, I recommend flexible filters rather than cartridges and caution you that the neck straps on both my MSA 200 and my 3M 6100 lost within a few months the elasticity required to maintain a tight seal. In terms of wearings per dollar, lightweight nonwoven N95s have proven reusable enough.
posted by backwoods at 5:36 AM on December 6
posted by backwoods at 5:36 AM on December 6
I know trying to do the same in regular covid style Aura N95s makes them block up with exhaled moisture, whereas the commercial masks have exhale valves (as do some N95s now apparently), that make heavy work a lot easier to breathe through.
The Aura has a version with an exhalation valve now too. They're nice.
That said, something reusable will probably be much more economical (but the weight could be an issue).
posted by trig at 7:32 AM on December 6 [1 favorite]
The Aura has a version with an exhalation valve now too. They're nice.
That said, something reusable will probably be much more economical (but the weight could be an issue).
posted by trig at 7:32 AM on December 6 [1 favorite]
A fan-powered purifier should be far more comfortable. I have one of those, but not for exercise, and I like it.
posted by flimflam at 9:52 AM on December 7
posted by flimflam at 9:52 AM on December 7
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