Respirator Protection Manual

14 Respiratory Protection Program F. Respirator Cartridge Change-Out Schedules The service life of a chemical cartridge is the length of time its absorbing material is effective at keeping contaminants out of the respirator. To ensure that chemical cartridges are replaced before the service life ends, a cartridge change-out schedule must be developed and followed. Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) is available to assist departments in complying with this regulatory requirement. Listed below are Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognized rules of thumb that can be used to estimate cartridge service life: • If a chemical’s boiling point is >70ºC (158ºF) and the concentration is less than 200 ppm, you can expect a service life of 8 hours at a normal work rate. • Service life is inversely proportional to work rate. • Reducing concentration by a factor of 10 will increase the service life by a factor of 5. • Humidity above 85% will reduce service life by 50%. In the absence of a change-out schedule for specific operations, chemical cartridges should be changed-out at the end of each day or work shift. High efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) should be changed if damaged, soiled, or noticeable increased breathing resistance occurs. Contact EH&S for information on changing HEPA filters when used against airborne oil.