Performance of Respirators and the Protection Against Airborne Virus

摘要

Respirators are made of fibrous materials, which provide high filtration efficiency (FE) and high air permeability. The fibrous materials are usually electrostatically charged to enhance the FE while the high air permeability is maintained. However, the charges will decay with shelf time, or even worse, with the loading of airborne particles while the filters are in service. The filter media require special treatment in order to reduce the charge degradation during shelf time or in use. There are several respirator test standards for various applications. The classes and the filtration levels of the respirators are described in this paper. The materials, the properties, and the structures of the respirators are presented. The levels of protection and the protection against airborne virus are elaborated in detail.