RZ dust masks

[beech1948]

Has anyone used these and if so what did you think. They claim to capture all particles down to 0.1 microns so I wondered if they could be better than my current 3M mask.

 

[Inspector]

Those type of masks have been on the market for a few years now and seem to sell well. I have yet to see any of them certified to any standard of any kind. I'm not going to put anything on my face that hasn't got an approval. A couple sheets of toilet paper held over your nose will filter down to 0.1 microns but that doesn't mean it filters all or most of them, and sorta some isn't good enough for me. If the companies involved won't go to the trouble or expense of certifying them then their claims are just as reliable as the things a politician will say to get elected. :evil:

Turned into a rant but you know what I think now. :wink:

Pete

 

[bourbon]

Maybe a bit of a rant, but a very valid point.

 

[beech1948]

I was curious because they seem to quote "Norton Laboratories" and use what I assumed was a US standard of F1/F2/F3. So you think its more marketing than real protection.

I sent them an email asking about FP3 certification and what is F1 etc. I'll let you know if I get a reply.

 

[Inspector]

I looked up the testing lab and they do pre-certification testing for the NIOSH N95 standard. That would suggest RZ are on the road to getting an approval to one of the mask standards. RZ does state a higher level of filtration with a different test that I couldn't find on the Nelson site. Digging a touch further on other sites, N/R/P 95 masks filter a minimum of 95% of particles to .3 micron. The letter designations are the resistance to oil. N being not resistant, R somewhat and P strongly resistant. The higher standard masks certified to N or P99 filter 99% of particles to .3 micron and N and P 100 filter to 99.97%. RZ's F1,F2 &F3 numbers are not a standard but a designation for different product filters that fit in the mask.

https://www.nelsonlabs.com/testing/resp ... erformance

Still not certified so as I said earlier I'm not getting one.
Pete

 

[CHJ]

No matter how fine the filter material is, if the Mask does not have a perfect face contour seal then its filter level is rather irrelevant as it's not stopping anything that you are breathing in past the leaking seals.

 

[ScaredyCat]

but it's going to be better than nothing at all.

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