Development of Inward Leakage Standards for Half-Mask Air-Purifying Particulate Respirators

요약

On September 17, 2013, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held a public meeting concerning inward leakage performance requirements for the class of NIOSH-certified non-powered air-purifying particulate respirators approved as half-facepiece respirators for protection from particulate-only hazards. The purpose of this meeting was to share information and to seek stakeholder feedback, in identified topic areas, concerning the development of inward leakage performance standards. Questions concerning the identified topics of specific interest were included in the meeting notice published in the Federal Register on September 4, 2013. Written comments were to be received by October 18, 2013. HHS/CDC received a request from a stakeholder for additional time to comment on this notice. In consideration of this request HHS/CDC is reopening the public comment period through December 31, 2013.