What is the difference between a respirator approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and a surgical mask?
A. NIOSH-approved respirators are designed to help reduce the wearers exposure to airborne contaminants. The primary purpose of a surgical mask is to help prevent biological particles from being expelled by the wearer into the environment. Surgical masks are also designed to be fluid-resistant to splash and splatter of blood and other infectious materials and not for reducing the wearers exposure to ambient airborne contaminants. Surgical masks are not necessarily designed to seal tightly to the face, so the potential for air leakage around the edges exists. Other types of masks that appear similar to respirators may not be designed to protect the wearer from airborne hazards. Therefore, they should not be considered an equivalent substitute for a NIOSH-approved respirator. There are some approved respirators designed to have the characteristics of both a NIOSH-approved respirator and a surgical mask, such as LSS product No. 41453.
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