PROTECTION LEVELS OF PARTICULATE FILTERS
Particle filters for respirators protect against particulate pollutants such as dust, smoke and aerosols. They are available in three protection levels, P1, P2 and P3, and are standardised throughout Europe according to EN 143:2000+A1:2006. Particle filters with higher protection levels filter more effectively and can therefore be used against more harmful pollutants and higher concentrations of pollutants.
OTHER LABELS
R (reusable)
Reusable, the filter can be used for longer than one shift.
D (dolomite dust test passed)
These filters meet the requirements of the additional dolomite dust test. This means less breathing resistance over a longer period of use.
MASK-FILTER COMBINATION
The protective effect of particle filters also depends on the type of mask they are used with. Therefore, the mask-filter combination must always be considered.
Particle filter + half masks
P1 filter + half masks
This combination can be used at pollutant concentrations of up to 4 times the occupational exposure limit. It protects against non-toxic water- and oil-based particles, but not against carcinogenic and radioactive substances, airborne biological agents of risk groups 2 and 3 + enzymes. The total leakage is a maximum of 2%, at least 80% of the pollutants are filtered out of the air. Typical applications can be found, for example, in the food industry.
P2 filter + half-masks
This combination can be used for pollutant concentrations of up to 10 times the occupational exposure limit. It protects against harmful water- and oil-based particles, but not against carcinogenic substances, radioactive particles, airborne biological agents of risk group 3 and enzymes. The total leakage is a maximum of 2%, with at least 94% of the pollutants being filtered out of the air. Typical applications include handling softwood, glass fibres, metals, plastics (except PVC) and oil mist.
P3 filter + half masks
This combination can be used for pollutant concentrations of up to 30 times the occupational exposure limit. It protects against harmful and carcinogenic water- and oil-based particles, as well as radioactive particles, airborne biological agents of risk groups 2+3 and enzymes. The overall leakage (leakage rate) is a maximum of 2%, with at least 99.95% of the contaminants being filtered out of the air. Typical applications include working with heavy metals, hardwood, brake dust, radioactive substances, pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungal spores, as well as stainless steel welding.
Particle filters + full face masks
P1 filter + full-face masks
This combination can be used for pollutant concentrations of up to 4 times the occupational exposure limit. It protects against non-toxic water- and oil-based particles, but not against carcinogenic and radioactive substances, airborne biological agents of risk groups 2 and 3 + enzymes. The total leakage is a maximum of 0.05%, with at least 80% of the pollutants being filtered out of the air. Typical applications can be found in the food industry, for example.
P2 filter + full face masks
This combination can be used for pollutant concentrations of up to 10 times the occupational exposure limit. It protects against harmful water- and oil-based particles, but not against carcinogenic substances, radioactive particles, airborne biological agents of risk group 3 and enzymes. The total leakage rate is a maximum of 0.05%, with at least 94% of the pollutants being filtered out of the air. Typical applications include working with softwood, glass fibres, metals, plastics (except PVC) and oil mist.
P3 filter + full face masks
This combination can be used for pollutant concentrations of up to 30 times the occupational exposure limit (OEL). It protects against harmful and carcinogenic water- and oil-based particles, as well as against radioactive particles, airborne biological agents of risk groups 2+3 and enzymes. The total leakage is a maximum of 0.05%, with at least 99.95% of the pollutants being filtered out of the air. Typical applications include handling heavy metals, radioactive substances and pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungal spores.
Suitable masks and filters can be found, for example, at Moldex.
