To All Filtering Facepiece Approval Holders

Letter to All Respirator Manufacturers

Issue Date: October 15, 2009

From: Heinz Ahlers, Chief, Technology Evaluation Branch, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory

Subject: To All Filtering Facepiece Approval Holders

NIOSH is expanding our effort to provide information on filtering facepiece and other particulate respirators particularly for use in hospitals and other patient care facilities. NIOSH currently is updating the information at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/
and is requesting approval holders to review the contact information on this webpage. This program will also develop an information portal/web page with various respiratory protection items and information.

We also encourage approval holders to send NIOSH a web page link to your supplier listings or sales offices. These listings will be placed under your company name on our portal. Also, NIOSH is requesting that if your company or any of your suppliers provide fit testing services and or qualitative fit testing kits, please furnish us this and any appropriate web links and this information will also be included under your company name with the supplied items.

In addition, health care providers may be searching for alternate supplies of filtering facepieces. In order to assure adequate fitting characteristics for their user population it would be efficient to fit test the new respirators before making large purchases. NIOSH is requesting that manufacturers indicate if they can furnish small lots of respirator to customers for evaluation purposes. We would anticipate 10 to 50 units across the available sizes would be adequate. Please indicate if this is possible and the associated costs and NIOSH will also include this information under your company name.

If there is any additional information or services that your company offers that may aid the many respirator users in this flu season, please forward these items along with the above requested information to npptl@cdc.gov or call 412-386-4000. Also if you require additional information concerning this program, please contact Heinz Ahlers.

Your assistance and quick response in developing and implementing this program during this flu emergency is appreciated.

To All Filtering Facepiece Approval Holders [PDF - 25 KB]