Beginners’ Guide to Buying PAPRs

When carefully selected, utilized, and managed, powered air-purifying respirators are highly useful. They offer increased protection, comfort, and regulatory compliance to the healthcare workers who are usually exposed to unsafe situations. 

Being an excellent air-purifying medium, a PAPR respirator relies on cartridges and filters. There are plenty of online medical suppliers selling PAPRs that have similar protective use conditions. For instance, concentration validity and contaminant identity must be understood as the respirator doesn’t provide oxygen. 

What makes a PAPR so diverse as compared with ordinary respirators is the involvement of a motor blower, which is responsible for pulling the air into the filter and pumping it towards the breathing zone. It somehow develops several advantages over the other alternatives, subject to the workplace conditions and application. Like other alternatives, PAPR units have an alarm or light that indicates the respirator needs to be replaced. 

Below are a few benefits that come with powered air-purifying respirators. Check them out. 

Easy to Wear

PAPRs are very much comfortable to wear and almost eliminate any breathing resistance. Once the air is pushed into the face mask, the wearer can breathe more naturally. It is especially essential if the healthcare worker is performing laborious activities for an extended period. The convenience factor that comes with PAPR respirators is that it makes the wearer unlikely to remove the ventilator often. As doing so can expose them to any potential endangerment. 

Better Air Circulation

Another benefit that comes with a PAPR is the improved air circulation provided by the air blower. The air movement can cool the wearer even in scorching, humid environments. An important thing to keep in mind about the PAPRs is that they don’t cool or heat air before it is delivered to the face mask. 

High APF Level

In general, APF stands for the number given to powered air-purifying respirators that indicate the level of protection, which can range from 10 to 100+. Usually, an OSHA designated respirators have an APF of up to 1000, which is considerably higher than the rest of the alternatives. Certainly, this makes these powered respirators ideal for combatting hazardous dust and chemical substances. 

Choosing the best suitable respirator

Before concluding which particular PAPR to use, several prerequisites need to be evaluated. LEt’s check them out. 

• Contaminants

Similarly, like all the ordinary respirators, it is vital to know the type of pollutants and their concentration level. Nearly, PAPRs have both gas and particulate filtration capability. Whereas, some of the options are just specialized only for the pollutants, not for the gas/vapours, so it is essential to identify precisely what contaminants need to be purified. 

• Location 

PAPR devices are electric-powered by a rechargeable battery that is worn by the user. If the task location contains a potentially explosive/inflammable atmosphere, it is better to buy PAPRs that meet the appropriate safety standards and precarious location protection concepts. 

• Site Size 

Commonly, the PAPR motor blower is well-worn around the waist as a belt. The dimension of the workplace should be taken into account. The restricted or narrow spaces should be estimated to make sure the PAPR wearer can move easily and safely around the work area. 

• Head Gear

Before choosing a PAPR respirator, the wearer needs to determine what traits should be there in the headgear. For instance, a headdress with tight-fitting, loose hood, or chemical spill protection, or a helmet with ANSI Z87.1 protection level. 

Once these constituents are determined, the process of selecting a suitable powered air-purifying respirator becomes much more comfortable. No doubt, it is always recommended to buy it from a reputable online medical supplier. Choose a supplier who specializes in selling personal safety protective equipment for high-risk medical operations. In the end, the process of choosing a PAPR is an examination that needs to be done carefully.