Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018;35(1):35-46.

History of U.S. Respirator Approval

David Spelce  1 , Timothy R Rehak  2 , Richard W Metzler  3 , James S Johnson  4
Affiliations

History of U.S. Respirator Approval

David Spelce et al. J Int Soc Respir Prot. 2018.

Abstract

This article is the second in a series of four articles on respirator history. The discussions presented in this article follow the history of respirator requirements, use, improvements, and certification in America. Included is a discussion of respirator evolution prior to American certification standards and discussion of the need, primarily from the mining industry, for government respirator certification. The reasons for government intervention and the origination of the American respirator certification program are discussed.

Keywords: respirator certification history; respiratory protection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Miners Inspecting Canary’s Reaction During Mine Rescue in Briceville, TN, December 1911.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Young Miner.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
“Helmet Men” Mine Rescuers at the Cherry Mine, November 1909
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
USBM Emblem Symbol.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Closed-Circuit Mine Rescue SCBA 1917 MSA Catalog.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Half-Mask from 1917 MSA Catalog
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Full Facepiece from 1917 MSA Catalog.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
1923 Wilson dust respirator.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
1929 American Optical vapor respirator.
FIGURE 10.
FIGURE 10.
1924 USBM Kilman’s Cap-Style Dust Respirator.
FIGURE 11.
FIGURE 11.
Mine Rescuers Equipped With a “Resuscitation Cage”.
Figure 12.
Figure 12.
1926 USBM Device Demonstrating Effect of Carbon Monoxide on Canaries.
Figure 13.
Figure 13.
Teapot Dome Scandal.
Figure 14.
Figure 14.
Schedule 13 Cover.
Figure 15.
Figure 15.
Gibbs Respirator.
Figure 16.
Figure 16.
Miners Wearing The Gibbs Respirator
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ferber BI (1966) Bureau of Mines Respirator Approval Schedules: New and Revised, American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 27:2, 110–114. - PubMed
    1. Held Bruce J. (1978) History of Respiratory Protective Devices in the U.S, University of California, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, California; (Work performed under the U. S. Energy research & Development Administration under contract No. W-7405-Eng.−48).
    1. Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/2016678796/). Berryman CK. Juggernaut Cartoon - Teapot Dome Scandal. Probably published in 1924 Washington star; (accessed on 6/15/2018).
    1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - A Guide to Industrial Respiratory Protection, NIOSH Publication No. 76–189, reprinted April 1979.
    1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Information Circular 9520 - One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2010–128 of February 2010.

LinkOut - more resources