SURVIVAIR Opti-Fit
™
Convertible Facepiece
14
WARNING
● OSHA allows the use of air purify
-
ing respirators for protection against
contaminants with poor warning
properties. You must replace car-
tridges when the end-of-service-life
indicator (ESLI) has changed color
or in accordance with an OSHA com-
pliant cartridge change-out schedule
that is based on objective information
or data that ensures the cartridges
are changed before the end of their
service life.
● You must immediately leave the con
-
taminated area if you taste or smell
contaminants, or if your eyes or
throat become irritated. Replace car-
tridges and/or filters before re-enter-
ing the contaminated area.
● Establishing the cartridge service
life for mixtures of contaminants is a
complex task, and one that requires
considerable professional judgment
to create a reasonable change-out
schedule. OSHA provides a “rule-of-
thumb” method for determining the
cartridge service life for mixtures.
The method addresses two situa-
tions. The first is where the individual
compounds of the mixture have simi-
lar breakthrough times (i.e., within
one order of magnitude). In this case,
OSHA recommends adding the con-
centrations of all the components of
the mixture to determine a “total con-
centration,” then determine the mix-
ture service life by applying the total
concentration to the component with
the shortest service life. The second
is where the individual compounds
have breakthrough times that vary
by two orders of magnitude or great-
er. In this case, OSHA recommends
the mixture service life be based
on the contaminant with the short-
est breakthrough time. The OSHA
rule-of-thumb methods may not be
applicable for all mixtures. In some
cases, the actual mixture service life
may be much lower than the one cal-
culated. For this reason, SPERIAN
recommends that the cartridge ser-
vice life for mixtures be determined
using experimental methods. If you
are unsure of how to determine the
cartridge service life for mixtures,
please contact SPERIAN.
● Failure to comply with this warning
may lead to personal injury, illness,
or death.
The cartridge service life depends on the user’s
breathing rate, the characteristics of the contami-
nant, and the environmental conditions such as
temperature and humidity. Saturated cartridges will
leak trace amounts of contaminant to the wearer,
which may be detected by odor, taste, and/or ir-
ritation. Replace cartridges when the end-of-ser-
vice-life indicator (ESLI) has changed color, at the
first trace of the characteristic contaminant odor
or taste, at regularly scheduled intervals recom-
mended by your safety professional, if they show
any signs of damage, or in accordance with an
OSHA compliant cartridge change-out schedule.
The service life of the cartridge can be estimated
using SPERIAN’s cartridge service life estimation
program, available from SPERIAN. Always replace
cartridges in pairs.
Replace cartridges as follows:
1. Return to fresh air.
2. Remove cartridges by turning counter-
clockwise. Dispose of used cartridges
in accordance with Federal, state, and
local guidelines.
3. Install new cartridges, taken only from
sealed packages, as described in Sec-
tion VIII, Part A.1.C.
4. Perform a facepiece fit check as de
-
scribed in Section VIII, Part A.3.
b. Particulate Filter Service Life and Replacement
WARNING
You must replace the filters when breath
-
ing becomes uncomfortable or difficult.
As particulates collect on the filter sur
-
face, the breathing resistance of the
facepiece increases. If you wait too long
to replace the filters, the particulates
may leak past the face seal instead of
being collected on the filters. Therefore,
SPERIAN strongly recommends that the
filters be changed at least daily.
Failure to comply with this warning
may lead to personal injury, illness, or
death.
The service life of the filter depends on the filter
series, the way in which the filter captures the con
-
taminant (either mechanically or by electrostatic
means), the characteristics of the contaminant,
the user’s breathing rate, and the environmental
conditions such as humidity, temperature, etc.
SPERIAN’s N95, N99, R95 and Slimline P100 fil
-
ters use electrostatic charges to capture particles.
High humidity and temperatures, as well as con-
tact with oil or non-oil based liquid aerosols, may
affect the capture of contaminants by these filters.
All new SPERIAN filters must be maintained in fac
-
tory sealed bags and must only be removed when
