Answer to Question #114 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

The manufacturer's application note ITI-029, "What You Need to Quantitatively Fit Test Various Brands of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Available in the USA," speaks to some aspects of your question (see What You Need to Quantitatively Fit Test Various Brands of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Available in the United States). For those respirator manufacturers making SCBA equipment using the same facepiece model as their SCBA, the information in the TSI website is very detailed, including part numbers you might need to order from the respirator manufacturer. Means to modify the facepiece for use in quantitative fit testing is unique to the respirator manufacturer/model and—generally—NOT constrained by the testing system. Thus, if you previously had probed facepieces for use with a corn oil system or other quantitative test method, they may be entirely adequate for the Portacount Plus method. If you are working with one or more U.K. masks which don't appear on the TSI application notes, the manufacturer websites or service/supply phone numbers would probably be the place to start. Only a very few manufacturers have developed probed adaptors that connect via the filter/canister openings; the majority still require that specific facepieces be drilled or otherwise modified such that they are "sacrificed" in terms of no longer being of use in actual protection—only appropriate for the test environment. Feel free to email me if I can provide more specific assistance.

Gary Kephart, CHP
gary_kephart@illinova.com