Evaluation of comfort and seal leakages of several respirators used in agricultural work.

Certain aspects in the use of some respiratory protective devices were studied under laboratory and field conditions. The face seal leakages of these devices were measured and volunteers were interviewed about their subjective opinions on the use of the devices. Twelve men and five women participated in the study. The models tested were Silner 12, Siltox, Sundstrom SR 62/80, Airstream Breath Easy 2, Pirelli, and 3M (8810 P2, disposable) which are used in agricultural work in Finland. According to the study's results, these four models significantly differed from each other regarding the facial seal leakage (p less than 0.01). The Silner 12 had the greatest seal leakage (5.9% with men and 5.2% with women). The subjects felt that these respiratory protective devices were not cumbersome in their agricultural work or in the laboratory tests. The comfort of these devices in practical work was about the same for all models. Powered filtering hoods were more pleasant to use than mechanical ones because they offered less breathing resistance. The volunteers complained that with the Breath Easy 2 they felt drafts on the backs of their heads, especially while working in cool weather.