What is NIOSH (and what do they do)?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (www.cdc.gov/niosh/about.html) is The USA federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations fro the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH is responsible for the testing and certification of nine types of Filtering Facepiece Particulate Respirators (FFPR’s) under 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 84. NIOSH-approved disposable FFPR’s are marked with the manufacturer’s name, the level of protection provided (N95 … P100), the part number (TC-84A-xxxx), and “NIOSH”. Historically, NIOSH policy was to certify filtering facepiece respirators for filter efficiency ONLY. More recently, as per its Letter to all Interested Parties, dated February 27, 2007; the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) announced that NIOSH is “…moving forward on p
