Medical-Grade Respiratory Protection At The Source
Remove and inactivate airborne biohazards on the first pass
Bacteria
Bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract pose a common danger for healthcare workers due to their ease of transmissibility between others through droplets from coughing and sneezing.
Viruses
Healthcare workers are at highest risk from viral infections through their proximity with the public. Due to the size of most viruses, which can reach deeper into the lungs, previous air purification methods do little to mitigate these risks due to their reliance on recirculation and the filtering capacity of previous methods.
Mold and Fungus
Mold spores and fungus have been long known to play a role in asthma and asthma-like symptoms in healthcare workers, which is exasperated over time with increasing exposure and can lead to increased respiratory distress in both healthcare workers and their patient population.
Allergic and Asthma
Airborn seasonal as well as allergic particles pose a common risk to healthcare workers due to our "exposure to cleaning products, latex, and poor indoor air quality." A recent NHANES study found that the "hospital industry was associated with the highest asthma prevalence among nonsmokers."
Volatile Organic Compounds
Healthcare workers are at elevated risk of volatile organic compound exposure due to the high amount of cleaning and disinfecting products needed to ensure public safety. A recent study through the NHIS found that "lifetime prevalence of asthma was highest" for healthcare workers.
Elemental Mercury
Mercury can pose a serious potential risk factor for healthcare workers through inhalation, absorption through the skin, or more commonly through carrying mercury on clothes and shoes home resulting in exposure to their family.
Bio-aerosols
While all aerosols can be hazardous to healthcare workers and patients, bio-aerosols play a particular role in transmission of disease due to the use of high-speed handpieces and common healthcare-related activity. These can travel through the air in droplet, or droplet nuclei form that can penetrate deep into lung tissue.
Dust and Irritants
Many workplaces experience dust exposure but due to healthcare workers enclosed workspaces, dust and other airborne irritants can have a compounding effect over the lifespan of work-related activities. This can lead to decreased work productivity and increased absence resulting in loss of income and opportunities.
