New Respirator User Notices Issued by Advoque Safeguard, 3M
Following a request from Advoque Safeguard, NIOSH has rescinded its approval of the company’s N95 particulate filtering facepiece respirator with model number ASG100. The voluntary rescission affects respirators marked with the approval number TC-84A-9284. As of Aug. 5, respirators bearing this number are no longer NIOSH approved and may no longer be manufactured, assembled, sold, or distributed as NIOSH-approved products, according to a notice (PDF) on the company’s website. The notice cites the results of third-party testing on one of Advoque Safeguard’s lots that “recorded some of the units with inconsistent filtration performance to the 95% filtration standard” as the reasoning for its action.
A separate notice issued by 3M has to do with certain Versaflo TR-6590N Multi-Gas/HE Cartridges used with NIOSH-approved 3M TR-600 and TR-800 powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). The notice states that recent testing identified the potential for some Versaflo TR-6590N cartridges not to meet the requirements of 42 CFR Part 84.179, Silica Dust Loading Test - PAPR Series HE Filtration, which requires PAPR systems to run for a period of four hours in a test chamber while exposed to silica dust at levels of 50 to 60 mg/m3 of air.
“The results from recent tests showed lower TR-6590N cartridge particulate loading performance than in the past,” 3M’s notice (PDF) explains. “This means users of the TR-6590N cartridge may potentially see a reduced particulate filter service life when using an affected cartridge in a high particulate loading environment.”
According to 3M, this does not affect the TR-6590N’s filtration performance and “does not put users at risk for exposure.” The company is working to correct the issue.
All NIOSH-approved respirators appear on the agency’s certified equipment list. The website of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Equipment Laboratory provides a list of respirator user notices issued by manufacturers. Further information about the recent notices can be found in the sections for 3M and Advoque Safeguard on the NPPTL page.