Efficiency of respiratory protective equipment (RPE), which is essential for protecting workers and the general public from various airborne hazards, largely relies on the quality of the face seal. The latter is typically assessed using a US OSHA-accepted eight-exercise quantitative fit testing (QNFT). This study aimed at evaluating the performance of a newly developed respirator fit testing apparatus, the Sibata MT-11D, by comparing it with the reference PortaCount® 8048 across three respirator types: N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), P100 FFRs, and half-face elastomeric respirators. Twenty-six adult participants, representing a diverse range of facial dimensions, were recruited and trained in proper donning and doffing procedures to ensure standardized use of the respirators. Overall fit factors (FFs) were determined using the MT-11D and PortaCount® operating in parallel. The collected data were analyzed in accordance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines to ensure statistical validity, including the application of exclusion zones and evaluation of test sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and Kappa coefficients. Strong correlations were observed between the MT-11D and PortaCount® across all respirator types, with R² values of 0.93, 0.99, and 0.94 for N95 FFR, P100 FFR, and half-face elastomeric respirators, respectively. The test statistics met or exceeded ANSI thresholds, demonstrating the accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of the MT-11D. These findings demonstrate that the MT-11D is a suitable alternative to other quantitative fit testers, capable of providing robust fit assessment for a variety of respirators in occupational and public health applications, thereby contributing to improved respiratory protection.
Niu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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