title: Respiratory protection.
abstract: Respiratory protection is used as a method of protecting individuals from inhaling harmful airborne contaminants and in some cases to supply them with breathable air in oxygen-deficient environments. This article focuses on the use and types of personal respiratory protection (respirators) worn by individuals at workplaces where airborne hazardous contaminants may exist. Respirators are increasingly also being used in nonindustrial settings such as health care facilities, as concerns regarding infectious epidemics and terrorist threats grow. Pulmonologists and other clinicians should understand fundamental issues regarding respiratory protection against airborne contaminants and the use of respirators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 47 Mustang Drive, Guilford, CT 06437, USA. howard.cohen@yale.edu
authors.forename: Howard J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Birkner
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004867:Equipment Design; D033161:Government Regulation; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices / Q000145:classification / Q000266:history / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational