OSHA Confirms Effectiveness of N95 Respirators in New FAQ

The misconception that coronavirus particles are too small to be filtered by the N95 respirator is corrected in the new set of Frequently Asked Questions.

  • By Nikki Johnson-Bolden
  • Oct 21, 2020

OSHA published a set of Frequently Asked Questions on October 19 to clarify how N95 respirators protect wearers from coronavirus exposure.

The FAQ combats the incorrect claim that N95 respirators don’t capture particles as small as the virus that causes COVID-19.

The information in the FAQ points out that N95 respirators remove at least 95% of very small particles from the air, and that the virus is part of larger particles made up of materials like water and mucus. The larger particles in question are easily trapped and filtered out by the N95 respirators because of their size.

The complete FAQ can be found at osha.gov.

About the Author

Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.

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