What is the Best Respirator for Stone Dust?
If you are working in a place with many airborne hazards, a respirator is an invaluable tool. Whether it’s stone dust, chemical fumes or other airborne particles, these masks protect you either by providing a clean source of air or filtering out the aforementioned hazards. That being the case, it’s quite clear why a respirator may be needed in certain work environments, where airborne hazards are a serious problem. There are only two types of respirators, but they function in the same manner.
What are the Types of Respirators?
All respirators provide you with clean air to breathe: it’s just a matter of how they do it. The two types are air-purifying and atmosphere supplying. Either one can protect you against stone dust, but one may do it more efficiently than the other. Why that is, we’ll explain below.
Atmosphere Supplying Respirators
Also called Supplied Air Respirators, these devices provide you with an alternate source of air to the one in the atmosphere. A common example of a SAR would be a SCUBA tank and mask: a tank of clean air is carried by you, and a tube connects that tank to the mask. Naturally, this means you have air to breathe regardless of the outside environment. While a SAR is guaranteed to protect you from stone dust, it’s almost certainly overkill, as these types of respirators are designed for the most hazardous environments, like the deep sea, burning forests and outer space are some examples of the environments SARs are used for. That said you could still use it for stone dust protection, but it’s really too much for too little a danger.
Air-Purifying Respirators
Far more common in everyday work are Air-Purifying Respirators. APRs don’t supply you with air from an alternate source, instead using filters to stop contaminants from passing into your nostrils as you breathe, much like an air filter in a home air conditioning system. That makes APR the go-to choice when the hazard is airborne particles like dust. That being the case, an APR is the better choice for stone dust compared to a SAR. A SAR will still protect you from stone dust, but it’s like wearing a bulletproof vest to a paintball fight: unnecessary in the extreme.
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
3M - Half Facepiece 6000 Series
This mask for stone dust is our top choice of products for this list for a variety of reasons. For one, it’s a 3M model, and while brand names aren’t everything, 3M is a company that has consistently provided solid, reliable products. This mask is a half face piece type, meaning it doesn’t cover the upper half of your face, but that also means it is a much more affordable option than some of the alternatives. Besides, if you are just looking for a mask that can shield you from stone dust, any pair of goggles paired with the mask can take care of that.
The mask doesn’t come with filters, but on the plus side it is compatible with a huge variety of filters, so it’s easy to pick and choose various types of filters for many different situations. The mask is extremely lightweight and seals well to the face. All in all, it doesn’t have any super special features the likes of which no other product has, but it is a very affordable option with every feature you need, backed by a reliable brand. That’s why it is our top pick.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Backed by a reliable brand
- Compatible with many filters
Cons
- Is only a half face-mask
Best Respirator for Stone Dust
The top best product [hide]
Honeywell North 7700 Series Half Mask Respirator
Other than that, it doesn’t have any particularly special features. But if you are budget shopping for a stone dust respirator, this one will do perfectly fine so long as you have the right filters, and it is truly inexpensive. Just keep in mind that you will need your own safety glasses or goggles to use with it in most cases.
North 550030L Half Mask Respirator
Maintenance of this mask is simple thanks to the direct cartridge to face seal design, which is a nice bonus. However, like most respirators, it doesn’t come with the filters you would need in order to use it properly. That’s not really all that important since you’re better off picking and choosing your filters, but technically it is still a downside.
3M - Half Facepiece 6000 Series
The mask doesn’t come with filters, but on the plus side it is compatible with a huge variety of filters, so it’s easy to pick and choose various types of filters for many different situations. The mask is extremely lightweight and seals well to the face. All in all, it doesn’t have any super special features the likes of which no other product has, but it is a very affordable option with every feature you need, backed by a reliable brand. That’s why it is our top pick.
Honeywell North 068-BP1002 Full Facepiece Silicone Respirator
To start with, it is a full-face mask. This means that the mask covers your whole face, protecting your eyes as well. But the real reason for the price is an ANSI certification: this means the lens of the mask is qualified to protect you from high speed flying projectiles, on top of the protection against airborne hazards. It does all of this with an excellent field of vision as well. With conforming dual flange material, it fits well to any face of any size, making for a stronger, more protective seal. It’s true that you have to buy filters to go with this mask, but that’s a relatively small price to pay for the trade off of an ANSI certification.
6900 Series Full Facepiece Respirator
This mask is a great choice because it’s a jack of all trades, with the full array of standard features. It is somewhat expensive, but the price is due to the ANSI certified lens, which means it can protect you against flying projectiles as well as airborne hazards. A wide visual range and being extremely lightweight doesn’t hurt things either. Unfortunately, you have to buy filters separately, but that’s a fairly reasonable exchange for an ANSI certified lens that will protect you from seriously dangerous projectiles.
Respirator for Stone Dust: Buying Guide
There is more than one respirator product for stone dust out there. Like all products, there are many brands to choose from, and your typical customer may be unsure of the differences or what to consider when weighing their options. This buying guide will go over the most important points to take into consideration when shopping for a respirator of any type.
What are Respirators?
As stated previously, the goal of a respirator is to provide you with clean air when the air in the atmosphere isn’t clean. They do this either by filtering out the hazards or connecting you to an alternate source of air to breathe. Both have limited lifespans, but the type of maintenance required will vary. Filters have to be cleaned or replaced occasionally, whereas air tanks can simply be refilled. Still, they do the same thing in the end, protecting you from airborne hazards in a work environment. That said, any filtration mask (Air-Purifying Types) can protect you from stone dust: there is no respirator with the sole purpose of filtering stone dust.
How do Respirators Work?
Supplied Air Respirators are pretty straightforward. You wear a tank of air on your back, and a tube lets you breathe the air out of it, like firefighter equipment or SCUBA gear. Air-Purifying Respirators function differently. Like an air conditioning setup in a house, air has to pass through a filtration membrane that catches all the bad stuff and lets the clean air through for you to breathe. Even if you clean filters, they’ll eventually be too dirty to use and have to be replaced.
How do you Know which Respirator you Need?
If you aren’t sure about this, the best course of action is to ask the person in charge what type of mask is needed. If you have to determine this on your own, the answer depends on the nature of the work environment. If the oxygen in the air is too low or the toxins are so severe that they can’t be filtered, a Supplied-Air Respirator is the answer. If the hazards can be filtered, an Air-Purifying type will do fine.
Now that you know what type of respirator you should be looking for, feel free to take a look at our reviews for the most useful respirators available right now.
Respirator for Stone Dust: FAQs
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What size mask do I need?
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Conclusion
At the end of the day, you will most likely be purchasing an Air-Purifying Respirator, since Supplied Air Respirators are generally unneeded in regular work environments. They can all protect you from stone dust, so the biggest difference when it comes to choosing one is whether it is a full or half mask and whether or not it comes with filters. But so long as you know what you need, that shouldn’t be a significant challenge to overcome.