Jacob Davis

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Industrial and Managements Systems Engineering

Committee Chair

Xinjian “Kevin” He

Committee Member

Steven E Guffey, Ph

Committee Member

Mike Bergman

Abstract

Respirators are a common form of protection when working in environments where workers are exposed to harmful agents. One exposure that has not been rigorously tested is cigarette smoke. Air sampling was conducted to test the effectiveness of four different respirators N95 Respirators for various concentrations of cigarette smoke and seal conditions and for different respirators. The Moldex 2200, Moldex 2300 (exhalation valve), Gerson 1730, and 3M 8210V (Exhalation valve) were used for testing. The set concentrations were 100,000: 200,000: and 400,000 cm3 with an error allowance of 20% for each concentration. Different flow rates (15, 30, 50, and 85 liters/min). Different sealing conditions were also tested in conjunction with other factors (fully sealed, 1 leak, 2 leaks, or 3 leaks). The results for fully sealed respirators ranged from 0.45 - 0.50% particle penetration. Particle penetration rose as total flow rate increased. Particle penetration was not clearly correlated to particle concentration. As more leak points were introduced to the respirators the particle penetration rose from 1% at the lowest flow rate (15 lpm) and reached as high as 3.5% at the highest flow rate (85 lpm). The most important factor for particle penetration was leaks around the perimeter of the respirators. Increasing flow rates exacerbated the particle penetration for any amount of leak points. The overall differences in effectiveness between respirators is less than 1% in regards to particle penetration for cigarette smoke.

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