Respirators for Oxalic Acid Vapor (OAV) Treatments

[Matt H]

An item that was brought up during last nights meeting was the use of a respirator for OAV treatments.  I wear respirators weekly for my employment so I have quite a bit of experience with them (including wearing them to protect me from things far more dangerous than OA). Here's my take.

Should you wear one? Yes.  If you only have 1 or 2 hives and have a lot of time can you get away without buying one? It depends.  Here's a way you could get away with not buying one.  Disclaimer: I'm not advocating this and believe your health is worth more than the $35-40 for a respirator, but some people are too cheap to buy one even though they'll drop $100 on a OA vaporizer.  The biggest risk is removing the hot heater from the hive and quickly transitioning from one hive to the other.  If one puts the OA crystals into a cool pan, puts the pan into the hive, stays up wind far away while it's vaporizing, turns the unit off, WAITS 20 MINUTES BEFORE REMOVING THE PAN, and then is careful to quickly remove it, one COULD get away with not wearing a respirator and minimize the risk.  

If you're a sane person, you'll buy a respirator.   There are 3 common half-face respirator brands on the market; 3M, moldex, and MSA.  All work, both will keep you safe.  Personally I far prefer the MSA to the 3M.  It's a softer rubber that gets a better seal and is more comfortable.  The downside is you have to order the MSA online while you can go to Home Depot and buy the 3M. Both are about the same price (Mask + Cartridges). Personally I have not had any experience with Moldex.  I DON'T advocate you buy the disposable N95 masks that have some activated carbon in them.   

Here's a few key things:

• Get the right cartridge for your mask.  You need one that is organic vapor (OV) and acid gas (AG) or rated for hydrogen chloride (HC).  A simple filter will not do.  One that is only good for organic vapor will not do.  
• Get the right size.  This can be difficult to explain and almost impossible to give recommendations.  In general though I've found through fitting 30 or so different people for masks that most men are a medium and most women are either a small or a medium.  There may be fitting guides available.
• Make sure the cartridge is properly attached.  Cover the exhale part and blow, then cover the two inhale parts and inhale.  If you get leakage then either you don't have it properly adjusted or the cartridge "teeth" are misaligned. 
• Ideally, cut your facial hair.  Most employers who require their employees to wear respirators do not allow facial hair.  For mountain men like Paul, that's not an option, but best practice is to limit facial hair. 
• Store your cartridges in a zip lock when not in use so they don't absorb atmospheric chemicals.
• Clean your mask with a very dilute bleach solution or a specialized cleaning solution after your done.  They can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

Here's the MSA mask and cartridge:

https://www.grainger.com/product/MSA-Advantage-Half-Mask-Respirator-4LR40

Cartridges that are good include:

https://www.grainger.com/product/MSA-Chemical-Cartridge-4LM97  

https://www.grainger.com/product/MSA-Chemical-Cartridge-4LM95 (Least expensive)

https://www.grainger.com/product/MSA-Combination-Cartridge-4LN05

https://www.grainger.com/product/MSA-Combo-Cartridge-4LN03

Some are more expensive and cover more things.  If you plan on using your mask for other things you might want to consider those cartridges.  You may also want to get a set of P100 dust cartridges for using with dusty jobs (NOT OAV treatments).  

For the 3M mask with cartridge:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Medium-Professional-Multi-Purpose-Respirator-62023HA1-C/202080144

Stay safe, have fun.

  

[lin...@tds.net]

Mann Lake has the item in its online and paper catalog. 

---

From: "Matt H" <matthew...@gmail.com>
To: "madbees" <mad...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 9:14:41 AM
Subject: [madbees] Respirators for Oxalic Acid Vapor (OAV) Treatments

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[Matt H]

Yup, Mann lake and Dadant sell the Moldex 8000 series respirator.  They can be had elsewhere for $5-10 cheaper (shipped). Personally though I would go with either the MSA or 3M.  Snap in cartridges don't give me confidence of a tight seal nor a product that will last very long.

[Oliver Wieben]

Thank you for posting those details, Matt! This is very helpful.