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A city worker recently wrote to find out which respirator would filter out the strong smells at the landfills best. He writes, "I work for sanitation in NYC. Sometimes I have to bring the garbage to landfills and dump it out the back of my truck. I am stepping in waste - horrible smelling - especially in the summer when the sun hits it. Rotten eggs, food, diapers, blood, cleaning chemicals, and sometimes dead animal bodies. What should I use that would mask out these smells? Should I consi …

We've had several customers ask about protection from the Hantavirus. Infection with hantavirus comes from contact with infected rodents and can develop into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which can be life threatening. Yosemite, one of the most spectacular US National Parks, has announced a total of 10 confirmed cases of hantavirus among recent visitors. The virus isn't passed between people, but is caught by coming in contact with deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats, or the white- …

Welders understand that the fumes and gases produced from their work can lead to serious illness. The danger and amount of exposure to the welders depend on the type of work being done, the rod, filler metals, base metals, coatings, contaminants, as well as the amount of ventilation and respiration protection. We simply don't know everything there is to know about protecting workers from welding fumes. However, there are some common precautions that can be taken to protect workers from …

One of the most frequent questions about the respirators we carry at pksafety.com is what size to buy. All our respirators come in small, medium or large, and most first-time buyers have no idea which is best for them. A proper fit is just about the most important consideration for a respirator, especially when pesticides, lead, or other harmful substances are in the air. Unfortunately the only way to know for sure if your respirator has a good seal is to do an OSHA-approved fit test …

Folks often ask us which respirator to use for spray painting and automotive body work. There are some good options out there but the type of filter and respirator mask will depend largely on the kind of work you do, and how often you are doing it. The only safe solution for urethane paint is pulling clean air from a remote spot and that requires an airline respirator system like the Allegro 9200-01 System. But let's talk about basics first. For instance, if you are sanding Bondo, gr …

The variety of jobs and tasks our customers set out to do continually amazes me. Here is a query from a recent customer about his task: In an upcoming job I will be melting lead and spraying acrylic and lacquer based paints. What mask and filters do you recommend to protect me from the fumes associated with these tasks? How does sizing on the masks work? For the lead fumes I suggest using a P100 (HEPA) filter such as the 3M 2091 Particulate Filter or the 3M 7093 P100 HEPA filte …