Revised NIOSH Handbook Addresses New and Emerging Chemical and Radiological Hazards

A revised version of NIOSH’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Respiratory Protection Handbook provides information about new and emerging chemical and radiological hazards based on a recent hazard assessment conducted by the agency with the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense. As part of the revision, NIOSH expanded its CBRN APR Protection List of hazards for which NIOSH-approved air-purifying respirators (APRs) with CBRN canisters provide protection. The expanded hazard list can be found in Chapter 2 of the handbook, which focuses on the NIOSH CBRN Respiratory Protective Device Approval Program. Chapter 3, which addresses CBRN respirators, was also revised to reflect updated technical information and the latest editions of National Fire Protection Association standards that involve respirators with CBRN protections.

“NIOSH NPPTL, in collaboration with the U.S. Army [Combat Capabilities Development Command] Chemical Biological Center and [the Department of Homeland Security Chemical Security Analysis Center], assessed emerging CBRN hazards to ensure NIOSH Approved CBRN canisters still protect against evolving hazards faced by emergency responder/military personnel,” NIOSH’s Lee Greenawald, branch chief of the agency’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), wrote on LinkedIn. “We also evaluated whether our 11 CBRN chemical test surrogates continue to represent today's threats effectively.”

Greenawald clarified that the full handbook has been reviewed and updated. The 2025 handbook, published last month, updates the previous version of the CBRN Respiratory Protection Handbook, which was published in 2018.

The revised handbook is available from the NIOSH website.