Bullard Solutions
Bullard, a leader in health and safety since 1898, now introduces the new PA30 Series of Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPR).
Bullard has been the leading designer and manufacturer of respiratory protection equipment for over 65 years. Over the last 20 years, the world’ leading pharmaceutical companies have relied upon Bullard to protect their employees from the hazards of newly created potent compounds that go into the formulation of the latest high tech pharmaceutical products. Now Bullard brings it’s respiratory expertise and experience into the medical services community with the PA30 Series PAPR.
The Application
Awareness is increasing on the possibility of individuals contaminated by industrial accidents and/or terrorist attacks bypassing the traditional emergency medical services (EMS) and self-presenting at a health care facility for treatment. These individuals present multiple risks including exposure of the health care workers that are providing care and treatment to the patient, exposure of other patients at the hospital, contamination of the healthcare facility itself, spreading the contamination away from the point of origin, and the financial risks in terms of the potential liability for the healthcare facility. For these reasons, it is important that there be a practical and effective system in place to decontaminate patients prior to treatment.
Healthcare workers performing this decontamination require proper and practical respiratory protective equipment. The Bullard PA30 Series PAPR can meet this requirement.
Regulatory Guidance
NIOSH is implementing new standards for approving respirators for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear protection (CBRN). NIOSH has recently issued new regulations for approving self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and full facepiece Air-Purifying respirators (FF-APR) for CBRN. Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPR) have not been addressed at this point, and a standard does not appear forthcoming in the near future.
Maunfacturers’ claims of NIOSH approved canisters that protect against chemical warfare agents are misleading. NIOSH does not approve components such as canisters or cartridges. NIOSH only approves complete regulator assemblies. Even in the context of an approved respirator, there simply is no NIOSH protocol for a PAPR canister to protect against chemical warfare agents.
In the context of an approved respirator assembly, canisters may hold NIOSH approvals for certain contaminants such as Organic Vapors, Acid Gases, Particulates, Ammonia, and others for which standards exist. Manufacturers of these same canisters may also claim protection against number of chemical warfare agents, but as soon as a healthcare facility subjects that cartridge to these chemical warfare agents (the real basis for their preparation) … the NIOSH approval is voided on the respirator. This is true for all respirators, regardless of model or brand.
Warning