Respirator suggestion to use with Easy Vap
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j2t, safety when using OAV is your resposibility so you have to decide which is the best for you to use. 3M makes half masks that would take care of organic acids and micro particles, some have replaceable filters and some have not. I am sure if you google 3M masks for organic acids you will find something that suits you. I personally use a 3 M paper mask, but that is my choice and what you end up using is up to you. Just remember an ill fitting expensive mask is just as bad as an ill fitting cheap mask so at the end of the day it is all up to you.
Hi Jared. I use the 3M mask for organic vapors that I bought at Home Depot for around $32. It has served me well for the past two years. It has replaceable cartridges and dust filters but I have not had to replace either yet.
The correct mask is pink/yellow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkVGR42b31I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkVGR42b31I
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I don't always wear a mask for OAV, but when I do I use the 3M half mask with the pink cartidges. I use them for car painting and they are only good for a limited number of hours around the isocyanurates but I assume they still have enough life for OAV outdoors.
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OSHA finally mandated a Respirator Protection Standard for industrial workers in 2005, and it's obvious to see why.
Prior to the mandate for employers to provide standardized education, training, test-fitting and supplies; much of the same guess work was in effect as it seems to be with beekeepers.
Almost every thing in this thread is incorrect and potentially dangerous.
I don't want to give an example, so as NOT to pick on anyone.
I just want to strongly encourage everyone to take the time to educate yourselves on proper respirator use, storage, & respirator selection.
Here are the filters I use:
https://www.honeywellsafety.com › Supplementary › Respiratory_Protection
Please be safe!
Prior to the mandate for employers to provide standardized education, training, test-fitting and supplies; much of the same guess work was in effect as it seems to be with beekeepers.
Almost every thing in this thread is incorrect and potentially dangerous.
I don't want to give an example, so as NOT to pick on anyone.
I just want to strongly encourage everyone to take the time to educate yourselves on proper respirator use, storage, & respirator selection.
Here are the filters I use:
https://www.honeywellsafety.com › Supplementary › Respiratory_Protection
Please be safe!
I can't find what you linked Harry. Horrible website for finding anything. Can you link directly to the cartridges? I am surprised by your information because I researched this some time ago and I agree with the others that the 3M cartridges are approved for organic vapors/acid gasses.
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...-P100-60-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294780263&rt=rud
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...-P100-60-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294780263&rt=rud
Someone on Reddit was arguing that a black band cartridge is all you need. If you scroll to page 86 under Oxcilic acid it lists the black band, but if you read comment D on page 8 it states that you need the yellow OV/AG one if your vaporizing it.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/639110O/3m-respirator-selection-guide.pdf
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/639110O/3m-respirator-selection-guide.pdf
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I didn't say anything against 3M or any other brand.
I'm quite sure they all work fine with the PROPER RESPIRATOR USE, STORAGE, & SELECTION.
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Agree with Harry.
What you never hear on social media is that respirators come in different sizes for different shaped faces.
Or that you should always perform a positive and negative pressure test before each use
Or that cartridges have 2 expiration dates,in an unopened original packaging and after opening.
Or that between use storage of cartridges should be clean and DRY because moisture rapidly degrades effectiveness.
What you never hear on social media is that respirators come in different sizes for different shaped faces.
Or that you should always perform a positive and negative pressure test before each use
Or that cartridges have 2 expiration dates,in an unopened original packaging and after opening.
Or that between use storage of cartridges should be clean and DRY because moisture rapidly degrades effectiveness.
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Yes, fit is important. I have been fit test perhaps 50 times for different dust and gaseous environments and even once for Scuba gear but got shuffled off that part of the shutdown.
If the respirator fits well and is designated for organic acids in both gaseous and dust you should have all bases covered for formic and acetic acid as well as vaporized (sublimated) oxalic acid which are the common ones for beekeepers.
If the respirator fits well and is designated for organic acids in both gaseous and dust you should have all bases covered for formic and acetic acid as well as vaporized (sublimated) oxalic acid which are the common ones for beekeepers.
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I am curious with "OSHA finally mandated ". I dug into the requirements specified by the label approved by the EPA on OA containers. It specified something called a half face mask without specifying requirements or mentioning OSHA. I derived the idea of digging into OSHA requirements to learn. My conclusion was it was up to the company, business, corporation or beekeeper to derive requirements for the particular activity and provide employee or personal protection as needed. Am I wrong?
The Rant:
I see it as a complete cop-out by the US government to specify anything it could be held liable ( or contradict capitalist interest. A typical position it seems. Strange thing is US military specifications (until deleted by Congress) were quite specific about requirements ( and quite good at it), not liable for lawsuits but subject to contract disputes. It just seems we have evolved into a strange environment IMO. A USA, were everyone is afraid of everything, dropped personal liability for anything and a refusal to build a strong, non-profit database. Wikipedia has merit as an information source.
OAV is left in limbo in the USA because it has no real profit oriented sponsor or manufacturer nor support from numerous non-profit organizations related to beekeeping. Europe, EU, takes a different tack on personal responsibility including a German report on OAV usage in an open-air environment at typcial beekeeping OAV application levels. Interestingly, the advent of faster and faster application rates and more complex application tools presents new problems.
So I agree with you -
- buyer beware and bee smart. I sort out my doctor's practical opinion about OAV risk. I made my safety plan based on all the data I discovered and follow it pretty much.
The Rant:
I see it as a complete cop-out by the US government to specify anything it could be held liable ( or contradict capitalist interest. A typical position it seems. Strange thing is US military specifications (until deleted by Congress) were quite specific about requirements ( and quite good at it), not liable for lawsuits but subject to contract disputes. It just seems we have evolved into a strange environment IMO. A USA, were everyone is afraid of everything, dropped personal liability for anything and a refusal to build a strong, non-profit database. Wikipedia has merit as an information source.
OAV is left in limbo in the USA because it has no real profit oriented sponsor or manufacturer nor support from numerous non-profit organizations related to beekeeping. Europe, EU, takes a different tack on personal responsibility including a German report on OAV usage in an open-air environment at typcial beekeeping OAV application levels. Interestingly, the advent of faster and faster application rates and more complex application tools presents new problems.
So I agree with you -
- buyer beware and bee smart. I sort out my doctor's practical opinion about OAV risk. I made my safety plan based on all the data I discovered and follow it pretty much.
The comment on page 8 on the link I posted earlier is from Noisha https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/639110O/3m-respirator-selection-guide.pdf
These compounds have been identified as possibly existing in bothparticulate and vapor phase in the workplace. For these compounds,3M recommends that a gas/vapor cartridge be used in addition to the traditionally accepted particulate filter. It is the user’s responsibility to determine whether both forms coexist. Both chemical properties and use conditions/processescan affect the physical form in the workplace. Users should consider Format Explanation specific exposure data and workplace conditions before making their final selection.* If a chemical cartridge is used, a change schedule must be established to replace the cartridges before the end of their service life.
These compounds have been identified as possibly existing in bothparticulate and vapor phase in the workplace. For these compounds,3M recommends that a gas/vapor cartridge be used in addition to the traditionally accepted particulate filter. It is the user’s responsibility to determine whether both forms coexist. Both chemical properties and use conditions/processescan affect the physical form in the workplace. Users should consider Format Explanation specific exposure data and workplace conditions before making their final selection.* If a chemical cartridge is used, a change schedule must be established to replace the cartridges before the end of their service life.
Someone once said "much ado about nothing" we are going to all over the place on information we are getting out of all sorts of writen matteriel which has very little relevance to the use of OA by beekeepers. Point 1 there is no OA gas coming out of any band heater vaporizer unless you are using about a 2000 watt heater or are treating in a temperature in the vicinity of 180 degrees F in which case you would have more than OA gas to worry about. From a safety point of view beekeepers should be more concerned about keeping an epipen handy or maybe even more than one, if one had to look at statistics you would find that a sudden alergic reaction that gets out of control is more likely to occur than a beekeeper succumbing to OA vapor. If you can stand there and breathe in OAV, you are a better man than me Gungadin. Does anyone know if there has been any serious mishaps with OAV, because I know of several serious mishaps with bee stings going bad. Just a few thoughs for all the book people to ponder on while I stir the pot.
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