Respirator Resource Center

Proper respiratory protection equipment can protect your health while working with hazardous materials.

Here you'll find tips and tools to help you choose, use, and care for your respirators, plus keep your crew safe.

3 Key Steps to Choosing Respiratory Protection

Step 1: Know Your Hazard What do you need protection from?Paying attention to material labels is key to staying safe. Common hazards like dust, mold, paint, and pesticides have unique PPE requirements. Labels include NIOSH recommendations to keep you safe.	Step 2: Pick Your Protection Respirator filters come in different types and brands.The right one for you depends on whether you'll do this job often (reusable) or once in a while (disposable), and what respirator equipment you already have (check compatibility).	Step 3: Choose Your Respirator Pick disposable, reusable, or air-powered respirator equipment.Disposable respirators, full and half mask respirators and air-powered supply units are all available at Gemplers. Check what combination you need to stay safe on the job. And don't forget to fit test your respirator!

 

Types of Respirators

Disposable Respirators

Disposable respirators are suitable for protection from particles like dust, pollen, mists, welding fumes, and certain pesticides in solid form. Disposable respirators are great for working outside, in the shop, and on the job. Gemplers carries several top brands, including 3M, Honeywell, Moldex, and Gemplers.

Shop all Disposable Respirators

Half-Mask Respirators

Half-Mask respirators are reusable and offer longevity and flexibility for use with replaceable cartridges and filters to keep you safe from different contaminants. Ideal for working with pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Shop top brands including Moldex, Honeywell, and 3M.

Shop all Half Mask Respirators

Full-Mask Respirators

Full-mask respirators are also reusable and offer the same longevity as half-mask respirators but offer skin and eye coverage of the face when irritants or contaminants require it. Full-face respiratory protection is ideal when spraying harmful chemicals or working with contaminants that you don't want to touch your skin. Shop top brands, including 3m, Moldex, and Honeywell.

Shop all Full Mask Respirators

Do I need a respirator filter, cartridge, or both?

The answer depends on the hazard from which you need protection, see below.

• Particulate filters: filter only aerosols - dust, mist, fumes, smoke, mold, bacteria, etc. Some filters also have nuisance-level gas and vapor capabilities.
• Gas & vapor cartridges: filter only gases and vapors. There are different kinds of cartridges for different kinds of gases and vapors, and filters are specific to the brand of respirator you have. For example, if you have a 3M respirator, you will need 3M filters or cartridges. If you have a Moldex respirator, you will need Moldex filters or cartridges.
• Combination cartridges/filters: filters particles, gases, and vapors. Different combination particulate/cartridge filters are used depending on the gas or vapor present in the air. You may also hear the combination referred to as using a cartridge with a particulate "pre-filter".

Why Respirators Matter

Your respiratory health matters. Proper respiratory PPE can help prevent common health issues among professionals who work with hazardous materials, including:

• Farmers: The three main respiratory illnesses associated with production agriculture are farmer’s lung, silo filler’s disease, and organic dust toxicity syndrome (Source: Ag Safety and Health eXtension Community of Practice (CoP)).
• Construction workers: Construction workers have been shown to have a significantly elevated risk of lung cancer due to work with silica dust and exposure to asbestos and other hazardous materials. (Source: NIOSH)
• Landscape professionals: Silica dust, pesticides, herbicides, and other hazards put landscape professionals at risk for respiratory health issues.

How to Choose a Respirator