Course Description:
Recorded at AIHce EXP 2021
Trends such as: a) increased instrument portability; b) expanded measurement and communication capabilities; and c) improved data management make this an exciting time to be in the respiratory protection field, particularly in the area of real-time continuous monitoring. This education session will teach attendees about measuring protection factors using a wearable, dual-channel CNC-based particle counter that enables real-time respirator fit evaluation while a worker performs tasks. The course will be divided into three segments: 1) an overview of the emerging technology for evaluating respirator fit in real-time; 2) results from university research where instrument performance is compared against known technology (PortaCount® Respirator Fit Tester Model 8038); and 3) two case studies at DRDC-Suffield Research Centre. The first study involves testing during live agent military CBRN field trials. These results demonstrate how field PPE assessments can be performed before entering and while inside a hot zone. The second involves studying N95 respirator reuse and extended wear, to provide new information about PPE effectiveness for health care providers in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the session, the participant will be able to:
- Identify real-time respiratory protection assessment approaches.
- Display the vocabulary of real-time respiratory protection assessments.
- Compare the new technology with existing methods.
- Evaluate specific applications: a) health care N95 and b) military CBRN respirators.
1
Presentation Date:
05/25/2021
Presenters:
Kenneth Farmer II, Ph.D.
Paul Bodurtha, Ph.D., CIH
Margaret Sietsema, Ph.D., CIH
