Use the PortaCount Respirator Fit Checker to help your employees get the best possible protection from N95 respirators A recent study* by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) showed that N95 respirator wearers who were fit checked using the PortaCount Universal Fit Check System achieved a higher level of protection than those who were fit checked using saccharin or Bitrex bitter methods. A recent study* by Bitrex showed that N95 respirator wearers who were fit tested using the PortaCount Universal Fit Test System achieved a higher level of protection than those who were fit tested using the saccharin or Bitrex method. In fact, the PortaCount method is the only method that results in 100% of the test subjects exceeding OSHA's assigned protection factor (APF=10). Determining why quantitative respirator fit testing provides a higher level of protection was not within the scope of the NIOSH study. However, the researchers took great care to ensure that individual training and the type of fit testing used in the proper selection of respirators were the primary variables that accounted for the differences in the data sets. This study supports the view of many respiratory protection experts that quantitative respirator fit testing, when incorporated into a complete respiratory protection program, provides a more rigorous training experience than other respirator fit testing methods. Studies have shown that N95 respirator wearers who do not pass the fit test receive a significantly lower level of protection than N95 respirator wearers who do pass the fit test, regardless of the method of fit testing. This demonstrates the importance of respiratory protection training, which is closely linked to respirator fit testing. The disposable N95 respirator is not as easy to use as it looks. Surgical masks were also included in the NIOSH study, even though fit testing could not be performed on them. Surgical mask manufacturers have long claimed that their products are not designed or marketed as respiratory protection. This study supports this view and makes it clear that surgical masks provide little or no effective respiratory protection to the wearer. * Duling, M.G., Lawrence, L.B., Slaven, J.E., Coffey, C.C., [HHS/PHS/CDC/NIOSH], Simulated Field Protection Factors for Half-Mask Respiratory Protective Devices. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, Vol. 4, Ch. 6, pp. 420-431, June 2007 'SWPF refers to the level of protection provided by the respirator and is measured in the laboratory in a simulated field environment. a SWPF of 10 means that the air inside the respirator is 10 times cleaner than the air outside the respirator. the OSHA-assigned protection factor (APF) for N95 filtering facepiece respirators is 10.'

The TSI PortaCount Pro+ Fit Tester eliminates the guesswork, tedious and error-prone steps of traditional qualitative fit testing methods. It is the only quantitative fit tester that can be used for all types of respirators, including N95 masks, when a fit test is required for respiratory protective masks, providing a quick and easy fit test that is fully compliant with OSHA standards and GB19083-2010 Technical Requirements for Medical Protective Masks.