3 Categories of Mold Personal Protective Equipment

4/8/2022 (Permalink)

Personal Protective Equipment for Mold Remediation

The mold cleanup process can disturb mold spores causing them to become airborne where they can be breathed in, get in the eyes or land on the skin. Face masks and other protective equipment can protect those doing cleaning from exposure. There are three categories of personal protective equipment for mold cleanup and removal. The appropriate category is based on the size of the area and the concentration of mold spores.

1. Minimum PPE
Minimum PPE includes gloves, goggles/eye protection, and an N-95 respirator. It is appropriate to use minimum PPE for small areas with mold damage. The N95 mask covers the mouth and nose, protecting the wearer from airborne particles, but does not provide eye protection.

2. Limited PPE
Limited PPE includes the use of half-face or full-face air-purifying respirators equipped with P100 filter cartridges. This level of PPE is recommended for areas between 10 and 100 square feet. The face masks used at this level provide a greater level of particle filtration than the N95 masks, though the half-masks still do not protect the eyes and neither option is capable of filtering out vapors or gases.

3. Full PPE
Full PPE includes a full-face, powered air-purifying respirator. This level of PPE is recommended for areas that exceed 100 square meters or for smaller spaces where high concentrations of mold spores are expected and jobs that will expose workers for extended periods. These respirators protect the entire face and head and have greater filtering capability than the masks in the other categories. These respirators require training to be used properly. Additionally, disposable clothing may be recommended for some medium and large jobs.
A professional mold remediation team in is equipped with and trained to use the proper face masks and other PPE for your job. The safest way to handle mold removal is to call a professional.