AIHA: Healthier Workplaces | A Healthier World
NOVEMBER 2021
Reusable Respirators for Healthcare Use
Advancements in Elastomeric Respirator Technology Address Source Control
CONTENTS
REUSABLE RESPIRATORS FOR HEALTHCARE USE
ADVANCEMENTS IN ELASTOMERIC RESPIRATOR TECHNOLOGY ADDRESS SOURCE CONTROL
Elastomeric half-mask respirators, or EHMRs, traditionally have exhalation valves—a design feature that has raised concerns when source control is desired. New technologies that filter exhaled breath result in a reduction in particles before potentially contaminated air is released into the surroundings.
BY ROHAN FERNANDO, LEE PORTNOFF, AND EMILY J. HAAS
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SELECTING PROTECTIVE CLOTHING FOR MIXTURES
PERMEATION, DEGRADATION, AND OTHER COMPLEXITIES Chemical protective clothing (CPC) is heavily relied upon in many facilities for protection against dermal hazards. But not all CPC is equally protective against all chemicals, and selecting the appropriate garment or glove is even more complicated when the substance of interest is a mixture of multiple chemicals.
  
BY CHRIS BRENNAN, NORMAN W. HENRY III, AND CRAIG WILLEY
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FINDING A BALANCE USING LEADING HEALTH METRICS Balanced sets of metrics to measure occupational health data can not only help predict and prevent unwanted outcomes and comply with regulations but also improve the effectiveness of organizational health and safety programs. BY ABBY ROBERTS
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: JUDGMENT DAY HOW ACCURATE ARE INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS' QUALITATIVE EXPOSURE ASSESSMENTS? From the January 2014 issue of The Synergist: "If we are to live up to our mantra of protecting worker health and safety, we need to significantly improve the accuracy of our qualitative judgments." BY SUSAN ARNOLD AND GURUMURTHY RAMACHANDRAN
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CONTRIBUTORS
ROHAN FERNANDO, FEATURE AUTHOR
Rohan Fernando, MS, is a senior research engineer with the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory.
CHRIS BRENNAN, FEATURE AUTHOR
Chris Brennan, MSPH, CIH, CSP, is a senior industrial hygiene specialist at Huntsman Corporation in The Woodlands, Texas.
 
ABBY ROBERTS, FEATURE AUTHOR
Abby Roberts is editorial assistant for The Synergist.
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The Synergist's mission is to provide AIHA members with news and information about the occupational and environmental health and safety fields and the industrial hygiene profession. The Synergist focuses on industry trends and news, government and regulatory activities, key issues facing the profession, appropriate technical information and news on association events and activities.
The Synergist's objective is to present information that is newsworthy and of general interest in industrial hygiene. Opinions, claims, conclusions, and positions expressed in this publication are the authors' or persons' quoted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, AIHA, or The Synergist.