Sarah House on wed 28 apr 99
I'm a little behind, but i just read the post stating that many women cannot
find masks to fit, I use a mask that I bought from Highwater Clay in
Asheville. Of course I don't have the address close at hand, but it's sort
of square and and brown. It fits my small face fine, and doesn't hurt, (I
won't say it's comfortable, but not hurting is a start) It costs around $30,
but I'm not sure if that price includes spair filters or not. Any healte
gurus have any information on the effectiveness of this mask?
Sarah House
http://main.nc.us/wildacres/shouse.pottery.html
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Clark & Julie Kent on thu 29 apr 99
I wanted to address this whole dust mask issue because I have had an offer
from a relative (who works in light industry) to get me a good dust mask at
cost. Of course, he needs to know what size I am. If I go to Home Depot
and try on whatever they have on the shelf will narrowing it down to small,
medium or large be sufficient? Or does mask size vary enough from brand to
brand to make this kind of guesswork useless?
And while we're on the subject of dust masks, I was very confused by the
article "Respirators for Potters" in this spring's Pottery Making
Illustrated by Jeff Zamek which listed a paper dust mask as a "first
choice....for protection against airborne particles found in the pottery
studio." Did anyone else stop short at reading that? I was under the
impression that it is very important to have that respirator seal against
your face, otherwise you are breathing in particles around the sides
anyway. The article states that there is a mere difference of 4 percent
(the paper mask filtering 95 percent of particles, and the highest rated
NIOSH particle respirator filtering 99.97 percent)
Now, I have been grumbling on and off about the aforementioned disposable
paper dust masks that are in use at our community art center -- mostly
because it was recommended we re-use them by putting them in a plastic bag
(!). I refused and toss mine out after one use (cleaning shelves or
grinding ware outside). However, I also refuse to mix glazes inside unless
they buy me my own particle respirator, because I just feel like those
little flimsy paper things are not enough to stand between me and major
lung problems (as an ex-smoker and an ex-asthma sufferer I try to be extra
careful). Am I wrong to take this position?
I also shuddered at the opening line in the article where he mentions
sweeping his studio -- who does that? I was under the impression that all
studio cleaning should be wet cleaning.
Interested in other (older and wiser) people's responses to this article....
Julie Kent
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I'm a little behind, but i just read the post stating that many women cannot
>find masks to fit, I use a mask that I bought from Highwater Clay in
>Asheville. Of course I don't have the address close at hand, but it's sort
>of square and and brown. It fits my small face fine, and doesn't hurt, (I
>won't say it's comfortable, but not hurting is a start) It costs around $30,
>but I'm not sure if that price includes spair filters or not. Any healte
>gurus have any information on the effectiveness of this mask?
>Sarah House
>
>
>http://main.nc.us/wildacres/shouse.pottery.html
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________________
>Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/
claypots on sat 1 may 99
-------------------
When I worked in a hospital, we were fit tested for masks to guard against =
TB-
These were a tighter version of the dust masks sold in hardware stores. The
test for fit was to place our heads in a plastic hood into which saccharine =
was
sprayed. If we could smell and/or taste it, then TB could get through. How
would this type of mask rate against silica? Does anyone have any info. on =
this
type of mask?
Debra
Michael Banks on sun 2 may 99
I contacted Edouard Bastarache to find out what size TB bacilli are and he
replied as follows: (quote)
According to Infectious Diseases by Shulman, Phair, Peterson, Warren: "This
micro-organism is a non-spore-forming, non-motile bacillus measuring
approximately 0.4X 4.0 mum, whose cell wall has a very high content of
lipid."
Edouard also noted: (quote) Quartz particles in the occupational setting
range widely in size, but those
less than 1 mum(micron) are believed to be the most pathogenic. Since large
particles impact and sediment in the nares and the major airways, only
relatively small particles enter the acini(lungs) The size of silica
particles retained in the human lung is remarkably constant, with median
diameters ranging from 0.5 to 0.7 micron why not use surgical masks, we wear
them to prevent our microbes from infecting patients and they are cheap to
buy. Microbes are usually very small in size, the size of streptococci being
0.8 micron and these can be very nasty some times. (unquote).
So it seems that the masks you suggest Debra (and Edouards surgical masks)
should stop the harmful +0.4 micron silica dust encountered in potteries,
theoretically.
Michael Banks,
Nelson,
New Zealand
Debra Wrote:
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>When I worked in a hospital, we were fit tested for masks to guard against
TB-
>These were a tighter version of the dust masks sold in hardware stores.
The
>test for fit was to place our heads in a plastic hood into which saccharine
was
>sprayed. If we could smell and/or taste it, then TB could get through.
How
>would this type of mask rate against silica? Does anyone have any info. on
this
>type of mask?
>Debra
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