A Comparison of Surgical Masks, Surgical N95 Respirators, and Industrial N95 Respirators
The most important thing to remember about surgical masks is that they are not designed to pass a fit test. Their purpose is to help protect the environment and nearby persons from the wearer's contaminants.
It is easy to confuse a surgical mask, a surgical N95 respirator, and an industrial N95 disposable respirator with one another. They look similar, and the words "respirator" and "mask" are often used interchangeably when discussing respiratory protection. However, in fact there are many differences between them. This article is intended to educate the reader on the differences between surgical masks, surgical N95 respirators, and industrial N95 respirators.
Purpose or Intended Use
Surgical masks
- May include masks labeled as surgical, laser, isolation, dental, or medical procedure masks
- Are primarily intended to protect the patient, not the wearer, from the wearer's saliva and respiratory secretions
- May also help protect the wearer against exposure to microorganisms, body fluids, and large particles in the air but are not tight fitting and likely have substantial inward leakage for particles and organisms
- Are designed to cover the mouth and nose loosely but are not sized for individual fit
- Are not NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) approved
Surgical N95 respirators
- Surgical N95 respirators are designed to reduce but cannot eliminate the wearer’s exposure to airborne biological contaminants. They do not eliminate the risk of illness, disease, or death.
- Form a tight seal over the mouth and nose.
- Require fit-testing and must be adjusted to your face to provide the intended effectiveness of filtering 95 percent of particles with a mass median diameter of 0.3 micrometers.
- Employers and users are required to follow the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard, 29CFR 1910.134, as well as other state or local regulations, as appropriate.
- Have specific use instructions, warnings, and limitations for use in health care environments.
- Are NIOSH certified.
- Are fluid resistant to a certified level measured against a stream of artificial blood directed at the respirator.
This article originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.