Paint spray is a common work done at the workplace and also at home. However, do you know that paint spray work has several potential health hazards that you have to take care of?
The hazards come from the ingredients contained in it.
The following chemicals are common ingredients of paint spray, even though each brand may have different ingredients:
- carbon black
- acetone
- xylene
- n-butyl acetone
- methyl ethyl ketone
- ethylbenzene
- magnesium silicate
- propylene glycol monobutyl ether
Let’s take acetone as an example. According to acetone SDS, it can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, dizziness, dermatitis, and central nervous system depression.
If you inhale the paint spray, you can imagine how hazardous it could be.
So, preventing paint spray inhalation is the best way to avoid the hazards.
Meanwhile, while painting spray works your eyes could also be exposed to the paint spray fume. That is why you need to protect your eyes too.
Ways to Reduce Paint Spray Hazards
At least there are three hazard control methods you can choose to reduce the inhalation hazards of paint spray fumes:
- ask third party to carry out the paint spray work
- use the right spray enclosure and fume exhaust
- wear the right personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent paint fume inhalation
If you cannot pass the paint spray work to others and have no enclosure and fume exhaust, then you have to control the fumes exposure by using the best respirator for paint spray.
A respirator is a special device used to prevent the wearer from inhaling hazardous vapors, fumes, gases, and particulates.
Best Respirator for Paint Spray
In general, according to CDC, there are seven (7) types of respirators available:
- elastomeric half-facepiece respirators: reusable and have replaceable cartridges or filters. They cover the nose and mouthand provide protection against gases, vapors, and particles, when equipped with the appropriate cartridge or filters. See the product example here.
- elastomeric full-facepiece respirators: reusable and have replaceable canisters, cartridges, or filter. The facepiece covers the face and eyes, which provides eye protection too. See the product example here.
- filtering facepiece respirators: disposable half-facepiece respirators that filter out particles such as dusts, mists, and fumes. They do not provide protection against gases and vapors. Look at the product examples here.
- powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs): have a bettery-powered blower that pulls air through attached filters, canisters, and cartridges. They provide protection against gases, vapors, or particles when equipped with the right cartridges, filters, or canisters. Loose-fitting PAPRs do not require fit testing and can be used with facial hair. See the product example here from 3M.
- supplied-air respirators: connected to a separate source that supplies a clean compressed air through a hose. They can be lightweight and used while working for long hours in environments not immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). Clemco Apollo 600 is an example of supplied-air respirators.
- self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA): used for entry into or escape from environments considered to be IDLH. They contain their own breathing air supply and can be either open circuit or closed circuit.
- combination respirators: can be either a supplied-air/SBCA respirator or air-supplied/air-purifying respirators.
Because the paint fume can harm your internal through inhalation and eyes, so the best type of respirator you have to wear is elastomeric full-facepiece respirators.
Here are the 3 best elastomeric full-facepiece respirators for paint spray that you can find on Amazon.com.
| Full Face and Organic Vapor Respirators PD-100, T-60, P-A-1 | Full Face Respirаtor Reusable, Gas Cover Organic Vapor Respirаtor, Compatible with P100 Filter | Full Face Organic Vapor, Chemical, & Particulate Respirator | |
| Brand | Parcil Distribution | Moaron | Parcil Distribution |
| Reusable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Filter included | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No of filter | 2 pcs | 4 pcs | 2 pcs |
| Filter Material | Activated charcoal | Activated charcoal | Activated charcoal |
| Impact-resistant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speaking diaphragm | Yes | No | Yes |
| Anti-fog technology | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Head harness | 5-points, adjustable | 4-points, adjustable | 5-points, adjustable |
| Weight, lb | NA | 1.96 | 1.79 |
| Multi-purpose protection? | Chemical clean-up, chemical handling, chemical splash, chipping, chiseling, cleaning, furnace operations, grinding, laboratories, machining, masonry, painting, pouring/casting, sanding, sawing, and welding | Suitable for production in cement factories, ceramics factories, shipyards, soldering, railway, metal smelting, interior renovation, stone processing, graffiti painting, wall art, powder processing, etc | Chemical clean-up, mold remediation, chemical handling, chemical splash, chipping, chiseling, cleaning, furnace operations, grinding, laboratories, machining, masonry, painting, pouring/casting, and welding |
| Customer rating | 4.7 of 5 (1,156 reviews) | 4.5 of 5 (860 reviews) | 4.7 of 5 (1,486 reviews) |
| Image |  |  |  |
| Price | Click here | Click here | Click here |
Frequently Asked Questions
Besides, the above question, there are several other questions arising from web visitors about the respirator for paint spray application.
Here are the question and its answer.
Question: Is a respirator good for spray painting?
Answer: Yes, it protects you from paint fumes health, and safety hazards
Question: Can N95 masks be used for painting?
Answer: No, because N95 masks cannot protect your face and eyes.
Question: Is a respirator half mask suitable for paint spray work?
Answer: No, since it cannot protect your face and eye
