What to know
Air purifying particulate respirators and masks work by removing particles and blocking droplets. This reduces exposure to harmful respiratory hazards. Correctly wearing a respirator or mask can protect from some respiratory hazards.
Elastomeric respirators
NIOSH Approved® elastomeric half-mask respirator and elastomeric quarter-mask respirator
How Well It Protects You: NIOSH Approved elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMRs) and elastomeric quarter-mask respirators (EQMRs) protect you against gases, vapors, and particles when equipped with the appropriate filter, cartridge, or canister.
How Well It Protects Others Around You: Some EHMRs and EQMRs, such as those without exhalation valves, filter the air you breathe out and you can use them to protect others around you. If the EHMR or EQMR do not filter the air you breathe out, you should not use them if your goal is to protect others around you.
Filtration: These are reusable respirators that, when equipped with particle filters, achieve a minimum of 95% filtration efficiency.
Fit: EHMRs and EQMRs cover the nose and mouth and are tight-fitting.
Manufacturing Quality: NIOSH Approved EHMRs and EQMRs meet NIOSH requirements including demonstrated manufacturing quality. You can find respirators that meet these standards and more information on their availability on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List.
Filtering facepiece respirators
How Well It Protects You: NIOSH Approved FFRs, such as N95® respirators, protect you against particles. They do not protect against gases or vapors.
How Well It Protects Others Around You: Some NIOSH Approved FFRs have exhalation valves that open to let air escape when you breathe out. This makes it easier to breathe and can make the respirator more comfortable to wear. An FFR with an exhalation valve may not protect others as well as one without a valve.
- Without exhalation valves: NIOSH Approved FFRs without exhalation valves filter the air you breathe out. You can use this type to protect others around you.
- With exhalation valves: If the NIOSH Approved FFR has an exhalation valve, some of the air will come out of the exhalation valve and reduce the level of protection to others. Wearing one of these will provide similar levels of protection to others as BFCs and some disposable face masks and cloth masks.
Filtration: NIOSH Approved FFRs are a disposable respirator that achieve a minimum of 95% filtration efficiency.
Fit: NIOSH Approved FFRs seal against your face around the nose and mouth and are tight-fitting.
Manufacturing Quality: NIOSH Approved FFRs meet NIOSH requirements including demonstrated manufacturing quality. You can find lists of respirators that meet this standard and more information on their availability on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List.
International filtering facepiece respirator
How Well It Protects You: International FFRs, such as KN95s, protect you against particles. They do not protect against gases or vapors.
How Well It Protects Others Around You: Some international FFRs have exhalation valves that open to let air escape when you breathe out. This makes it easier to breathe and can make the respirator more comfortable to wear. An international FFR with an exhalation valve may not protect others as well as one without a valve.
- Without exhalation valves: International FFRs without exhalation valves filter the air you breathe out. You can wear this type to protect others around you.
- With exhalation valves: If the international FFR has exhalation valves, the level of protection to others is variable. You should not wear this type if your goal is to protect others around you.
Filtration: International FFRs are a disposable type of respirator that achieve a level of filtration efficiency based on the specified standard with a minimum of 80%.
Fit: International FFRs seal against your face around the nose and mouth and are tight-fitting. Since manufacturers designed these respirators for populations outside of the United States, they may not seal as well to your face as a NIOSH Approved respirator.
Manufacturing Quality: International FFRs meet the requirements specified by the country which includes manufacturing quality. However, international standards often do not require the manufacturer to demonstrate quality.
Barrier face covering
How Well It Protects You: BFCs protect you against particles. They do not protect against gases or vapors.
How Well It Protects Others Around You: BFCs filter the air you breathe out, so you can wear them to protect others around you.
Filtration: BFCs can be disposable or reusable masks that achieve a minimum of 20% filtration efficiency against particles. There are two kinds of BFCs intended to provide a higher level of protection, Enhanced Performance and Enhanced Performance Plus BFCs. These BFCs offer a minimum of 50% and 80% filtration.
Fit: They cover the nose and mouth. Manufacturers must design BFCs to fit snugly to your face to reduce gaps. However, they may not provide as tight of a seal as a NIOSH Approved FFR or elastomeric respirator.
Manufacturing Quality: BFCs meet the ASTM F3502-21 consensus standard and are tested by a laboratory. The manufacturer must specify how to wear it properly to reduce gaps and, if reusable, the number of times you can wash the BFC. The (PPE-Info) webpage has lists of BFCs that the manufacturer claims to meet enhanced recommendations, as well as more information on their availability.
Disposable mask
How Well It Protects You: Disposable face masks may block droplets. They may not filter small particles, and they do not protect against gases or vapors.
How Well It Protects Others Around You: They may protect others around you.
Filtration: Disposable face masks are one time use masks that provide varying levels of filtration.
Fit: They cover your nose and mouth and are loose-fitting.
Manufacturing Quality: There are no standards or regulations for disposable face masks. It is very difficult to know the level of filtration and protection they provide.
Cloth masks
How Well It Protects You: Cloth masks may block droplets. They may not protect against small particles, and they do not protect against gases and vapors.
How Well It Protects Others Around You: They may protect others around you.
Filtration: Cloth masks are reusable masks that provide varying levels of filtration.
Fit: They cover your nose and mouth and are loose-fitting.
Manufacturing Quality: There are no standards or regulations for cloth masks. It is very difficult to know the level of filtration and protection they provide.
Respirator and mask performance
Different standards for respirators and masks allow manufacturers to provide products that meet a variety of needs. These differences can also cause confusion when trying to select the best product for your situation. The table below summarizes these differences so that you can identify the types of respirators or masks that meet your needs.
| Type of Respirators and Masks | Filtration1 | Fit2 | How Well It Protects You3 | How Well It Protects Others Around You4 | Manufacturing Quality5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIOSH Approved elastomeric half-mask respirator and elastomeric quarter-mask respirator equipped with particle filters without exhalation valves or with filtered exhalation valves | Greater than 95% | Tight-fitting | Best | Best | Best |
| NIOSH Approved elastomeric half-mask respirator and elastomeric quarter mask respirator equipped with particle filters with exhalation valves | Greater than 95% | Tight-fitting | Best | Variable | Best |
| NIOSH Approved filtering facepiece respirator without exhalation valves | Greater than 95% | Tight-fitting | Best | Best | Best |
| NIOSH Approved filtering facepiece respirator with exhalation valves | Greater than 95% | Tight-fitting | Best | Best | Best |
| International filtering facepiece respirator without exhalation valves | Greater than 80% | Tight-fitting | Good | Best | Variable |
| International filtering facepiece respirator with exhalation valves | Greater than 80% | Tight-fitting | Good | Variable | Variable |
| Enhanced performance plus barrier face covering | Greater than 80% | Loose-fitting | Good | Best | Good |
| Enhanced performance barrier face covering | Greater than 50% | Loose-fitting | Good | Best | Good |
| Barrier face covering | Greater than 20% | Loose-fitting | Good | Best | Good |
| Disposable face mask | Reported between 10% and 99% | Loose-fitting | Variable | Variable | Poor |
| Cloth mask | Reported between 10% and 99% | Loose-fitting | Variable | Variable | Poor |
1Determined according to the standard test methods used to evaluate the product.
2Tight-fitting indicates the respirator is designed to form a seal to the face; loose-fitting indicates the BFC or mask is not designed to form a seal to the face.
3How well a respirator or mask protects you is rated by comparing the filtration and fit to the historical use of respirators and masks in workplace settings. This includes use for protection from hazardous particles and infectious particles and droplets.