PAPR FAQ

Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) are a type of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) used to protect the wearer from respiratory hazards.

Other forms of RPE include half masks, full face masks and filtering face pieces (also known as FFP1/FFP2/FFP3).

PAPR are used in a number of different industries to provide respiratory protection, often when tight-fitting respirators are not appropriate or practical.

A few common reasons for choosing PAPR protection might include:

No fit testing required

• Can be used by staff who have not yet been fit tested
• Can be used by staff who have failed to pass a fit test on available RPE

Comfort

• Suitable for prolonged use (up to a full shift – depending on battery life)
• Comfortable alternative to tight-fitting RPE with no tight straps or constricting materials

Suitability

• Suitable for users with facial hair, make up, glasses or other factors that can negatively impact tight-fitting RPE
• Can be used as emergency protection when your normal tight-fitting respirator is unavailable
• Usually compatible with a range of headtops for different situations – including hoods, helmets, half masks and full face masks

Protection

• Higher APF (assigned protection factor) than tight fitting filtering facepieces (FFP3s), offering a greater level of protection
• Often compatible with a range of filter types including particulates, gases and vapours
• Inbuilt alarms alert user of any problems such as low battery or filter clogging

PAPR devices consist of a motorised fan unit, battery, filter casing and head gear.

The battery assisted fan (often called a blower unit) draws air from the environment into the device through the attached filter. Once cleansed, the filtered air is delivered to the user’s headgear usually through a sealed hose. Air is continually drawn in through the device providing a continuous supply of filtered air to the user.

The continuous supply of air creates positive-pressure within the headgear, preventing contaminated air from seeping in – all without the need of tight-fitting seals.

RPE are split into two main groups: tight-fitting and loose-fitting.

Tight-fitting RPE rely on a seal being formed around the wearer’s face so that air is breathed in through the filter. Examples include single-use filtering facepieces (FFP1/2/3 N95/N99/N100), half masks and full face masks. A fit test is required before use to ensure the particular respirator make/model is suitable for the user.

Loose-fitting RPE relies on a continual supply of filtered air being provided to the wearer to prevent contaminants from leaking in to the wearer’s breathing zone. Examples include hoods, helmets and suits. A fit test is not required, as a tight-fitting seal is not needed for the system to work. However, the wearer should be trained and the equipment regularly checked and charged for optimal use.

Loose fitting RPE does not require a fit test before use, as they do not rely on achieving a tight-fitting seal to work.

It is strongly advised however, that users are properly trained on how to use the equipment.

PAPR devices are used as a last line of defense for the protection of people’s lives – so it is essential that staff required to use a PAPR device is trained on how it works and what to do if there is a problem.

Our team of fit2fit accredited RPE experts to help educate and facilitate your needs and we offer complementary videos, resources and materials to ensure your staff are competent in handling the equipment.

PAPR devices are used as a last line of defense for the protection of people’s lives – so it is essential that you purchase your PAPR from a knowledgeable and reputable source.

Full Support Healthcare have been providing the NHS with PPE and RPE for over 20 years and have a team of fit2fit accredited RPE experts to help educate and facilitate your needs.

We currently supply two forms of PAPR suitable for the healthcare sector – the Optrel e3000x and the Draeger X-Plore 8000.

Many PAPR devices can be reconfigured to suit your particular needs. For example, the Draeger X-Plore 8000 can be equipped with a range of headtops including single-use short hoods, reusable long hoods and reusable helmets.

In the healthcare sector, we recommend PAPRs be used in any environment suitable for a valved respirator or face protection is required – such as AGPs, influenza, COVID and TB.

Since air is expelled through the loose-fitting seals of the unit, we would not advise PAPRs to be worn where a sterile field is required without close review of the environment.

Positive pressure is where the air within a system (such as a PAPR’s headtop) is greater than the environment surrounding it. Consequently, any air that leaks out of the system is pushed out into the surrounding environment – as opposed to the surrounding air in the environment leaking in.

Although often described as positive-pressure RPE, most PAPR units are not true positive pressure devices, as some can be overcome when over-breathing too heavily when inhaling, or if excessive gaps are left in the loose-fitting seal.

With regular breathing and normal use, PAPR devices can afford the user a higher assigned protection factor (APF) than a tight-fitting facepiece (FFP3) – APF40 vs APF20.

An Assigned Protection Factor (APF) is given to each RPE type and class to help the wearer understand how much protection a given respirator offers.

APFs are split into 4, 10, 20, 40, 200 and 2000 – indicating the reduction rate of how exposed the user is to hazards in the atmosphere.

For example, an FFP3 respirator with an APF of 20 will reduce the wearer’s exposure by at least a factor of 20 if worn correctly.

A PAPR’s APF can vary depending on the make/model and configuration (filter type, heardgear etc.), but can be as high as APF40. All PAPRs currently supplied by Full Support Healthcare offer an APF of 40.

In comparison, FFP3s are APF20.

PAPR filters are available to cover a range of different hazards (depending on the make/model of the device).

For healthcare, most needs will be covered by a particulate filter.

All PAPR particulate filters are high efficiency filters – also known as HE or HEPA (high efficiency particulate absorbing). HEPA filters are 99.97% efficient against 0.3 micron particles – which is a higher level of protection than even a P3/FFP3 filter (99.95%).

Other filter combinations may be available to protect against gasses/vapors including A, B, E, K, AX, SX, Nox and HgP.

PAPRs follow the European standards EN 12941 which encompasses the complete PAPR system, including headtop, blower unit and particle filter.

The EN 12941 standard is split into three levels of potential maximum inward leakage – TH1 (10%), TH2 (2%) and TH3 (0.2%) – with TH3 being the highest.

All PAPRs currently supplied by Full Support Healthcare offer TH3 protection, which equates to an APF of 40, higher than that of an FFP3.

Many PAPR filters will also be labelled as being P R SL. This means:

P = Particulate

R = Reusable

SL = Protection against aerosols

All PAPR particulate filters are high efficiency filters – also known as HE or HEPA (high efficiency particulate absorbing). HEPA filters are 99.97% efficient against 0.3 micron particles – which is a higher level of protection than even a P3/FFP3 filter (99.95%).