Workplace protection factors--supplied air hood.

Several organizations list assigned protection factors. For supplied air hoods, the value of the assigned protection factors varies from <10 to 2,000 depending on the organization. Workplace protection factors (WPFs) of a supplied air hood were measured during aircraft sanding and painting operations on several types of aircraft to evaluate whether the American National Standard Z88.2 (1992) assigned protection factor of 1,000 was realistic. The primary contaminant during these activities is strontium chromate. Samples collected inside the hood show that employees during sanding and painting operations were not exposed to strontium. The respirator performed adequately. This study is consistent with other simulated and WPF studies in that the ANSI Z88.2 WPF of 1,000 is supported.