Choosing the best asbestos masks for your workers: a guide for businesses

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and a notoriously toxic substance present in many worksites. Asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma are among the many deadly illnesses that workers can get from prolonged exposure to asbestos.  

So how do you protect your workers from asbestos exposure and avoid its deadly effects?  

One simple way is to protect your workers from inhaling this deadly substance. To achieve this, you must provide your workforce with the best masks for asbestos protection you can find.  

In this guide, Canadian Occupational Safety provides useful tips on how to find the best asbestos masks in Canada. We’ll provide relevant information like what masks protect against asbestos the best, what mask is safe for asbestos, and many more.  

Understanding the dangers of asbestos in the workplace 

Despite widespread knowledge and awareness of its dangers, asbestos is unfortunately still used in many important industries like:  

• construction 
• shipbuilding 
• automotive repair and restoration 
• manufacturing 

Although asbestos is a banned substance in Canada and the US, asbestos and the risk of exposure to it persist in these industries for different reasons. For instance, in construction, asbestos remains in the thermal insulation and fireproofing of old homes and buildings. Workers must remove and dispose of these harmful substances during demolition or renovation.  

Much of the business in auto repairs or restoration involves dealing with old parts that have asbestos, such as the brakes. As for shipbuilding, many parts of ships contain asbestos, like joiners, bulkhead systems, hot water and steam piping, and some machine parts.  

The International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) decreed the banning of asbestos on ships after 2002. In 2011, it completely banned the use of asbestos on ships. However, exceptions for using this toxic substance in ships made before 2002 remain.  

Finally, some countries have yet to ban asbestos like Russia, China, and Kazakhstan, which still use asbestos in manufacturing. Gaskets, cement sheets, brake pads, and automatic transmission components from these countries may find their way into Canada, hence the need for asbestos PPEs. 

Health risks associated with asbestos 

The main risk that company owners, certified health and safety professionals and workers should be concerned with is the inhalation of asbestos fibres. Constant, prolonged exposure to asbestos leads to the likelihood of workers contracting these illnesses:  

1. Asbestosis 

This disease afflicts the lungs of workers heavily exposed to asbestos. If a worker inhales their fibres, these fibres can irritate and scar the lung’s delicate tissues. Over time, the lungs stiffen and make it difficult to breathe.  

A nefarious aspect of asbestosis is that symptoms do not manifest until after 10 to 40 years. A worker exposed to asbestos cannot know if they have the disease until they are properly diagnosed. The most common symptoms of asbestosis are:  

• persistent dry cough 
• shortness of breath 
• chest pain or feeling of tightness in the chest 
• loss of appetite and weight loss 
• dry, crackling sound in the lungs when inhaling 
• clubbing of the fingertips and toes 

It’s crucial to remember that there is no cure for asbestosis – its symptoms can only be eased or managed until the patient eventually expires. The only possibility for curing the disease is a lung transplant, which has some benefits along with complications, risks, and limitations.  

2. Lung cancer 

This form of cancer can be a result of asbestos exposure and asbestosis. Workers who have a long history of asbestos exposure and smoking can be especially vulnerable to lung cancer. Patients can manifest symptoms after around 20 to 30 years of constant exposure, although this disease can be detected early.  

If detected early, there is a chance that lung cancer may be cured via surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The appropriate treatment will depend on the type of lung cancer cells, the stage they’re in and other relevant factors. Common symptoms of lung cancer include:  

• hoarseness  
• shortness of breath 
• coughing up bloody phlegm 
• chest or shoulder pain 
• recurring chest infections 
• weight loss or loss of appetite 
• unexplained fatigue 

3. Mesothelioma 

A rare but aggressive type of cancer, mesothelioma targets the lining of the lungs and abdomen and is typically caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. The symptoms of this illness usually include:  

• chest pains 
• shoulder pain 
• shortness of breath 
• persistent cough 
• weight loss 
• swelling in the face and arms or lumps in the skin of the chest 
• high fevers 
• sweating especially during the night 
• clubbed fingertips 
• problems in swallowing, with a feeling like food is getting stuck in the throat 
• extreme fatigue 

As with the other illnesses caused by asbestos exposure, the symptoms of mesothelioma may likewise not manifest until after a few decades. This disease is incurable, although the symptoms can be managed to provide the patient with a decent quality of life.  

The regulations on asbestos respirators in Canada 

The Canadian Labour Code mandates that asbestos masks you choose must be approved the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Asbestos respirators should comply with specific design, maintenance, and usage standards to be considered as sufficient for ensuring workers’ safety and health.  

Types of asbestos respirators 

Here are the kinds of respirators that you will encounter as you work to put together a PPE kit for your workforce in your particular industry. Coordinate with and consult with your organization’s safety experts to know the exact specifications to look for in an asbestos respirator for your workforce. 

• Half-face mask design – this covers only the nose and mouth and is popular for air-purifying respirators or supplied-air systems. 

• Full-face mask design – this can be seen on air-purifying, powered air-purifying, and supplied-air asbestos masks. A full-face respirator protects also the eyes, providing substantially more coverage. 

• Air-purifying respirators – as the name suggests, these respirators work by removing particulate matter, vapours or gas contaminants from the surrounding air. This kind of respirator can have cartridges, canisters, or filters. Also, they can have a powered or unpowered half or full-face asbestos mask or powered helmet or hood. For air-purifying respirators to protect against asbestos, it must have an N-100, P-100, R-100, or HEPA filter. 

• Supplied-air respirators – these provide clean air that can be either carried by the user as a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) in a container. The air supply can also be delivered to the wearer via a hose or air supply line. Supplied air asbestos masks may get their air by a blower or compressed air source. They can consist of half or full-face pieces, helmets or hoods. However, regulations specify that tight-fitting half or full-face pieces be used, depending on the work environment. 

Choosing the right asbestos masks or respirators 

When selecting the proper respirator that provides the best protection against asbestos, assessing the nature of the worksite and level of exposure risk is critical. Determine first whether your workers will face a type 1, 2, or 3 asbestos risk environment.  

Type 1 

This poses the lowest risk of exposure to asbestos but does not necessarily mean that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like a respirator is not necessary. In this type of asbestos environment, workers must do these to minimize exposure:  

• avoid damaging the material  
• use only non-powered hand tools  
• carefully remove any visible dust  
• use drop sheets to control dust  
• add a wetting agent to water to control and avoid kicking up dust  
• clean up dust and waste frequently 

Type 2 

There is a moderate risk of asbestos exposure in this work environment. To minimize exposure risk, workers must:  

• post warning signs about the presence of asbestos dust  
• restrict access to the work area only to those wearing the proper PPEs 
• use drop sheets to control dust  
• add a wetting agent to water to control dust and avoid kicking up dust 
• use dust-tight containers to for asbestos removal and waste removal 

Type 3 

This means there is a high risk of exposure to asbestos, and a very high likelihood of having dense concentrations of asbestos fibres in the air. The asbestos that workers will deal with in this environment is very friable (easily crumbled by hand), or there are non-friable materials that contain a lot of asbestos.  

To minimize the risk of exposure in a type 3 asbestos environment, workers must:  

• install a ventilation system in the worksite with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters  
• maintain a negative air pressure of 0.02 inches of water  
• be certified in handling asbestos to perform the work 

If you determine that your workers will be in a Type 2 or Type 3 environment, then Powered Air Purifying respirators (PAPRs) should be part of their safety equipment. Supplied air respirators on the other hand, can be used for dry removals or removing sprayed-on insulation containing asbestos that is not chrysotile asbestos.  

Respirator filter ratings 

In case you will need unpowered air-purifying respirators, it’s important to know the filter ratings. 

There are three levels of filter efficiency to choose from:  

• 95% 
• 97% 
• 99.97% 

What these percentages mean is that they are 95%, 99%, and 99.97% effective in filtering or blocking particulate matter from the air when the user breathes while wearing the respirator. 

Meanwhile, there are three classes of resistance to filter efficiency degradation, namely: 

• N – Not resistant to oil-based aerosols 
• R – Resistant to oil-based aerosols 
• P – Proof against oil-based aerosols 

Depending on the severity of the risk of exposure, choose the respirator that provides the optimal combination of these safety ratings and features. For example, you can get an asbestos respirator that is full-face and has an R97 rating, so it offers 97% efficiency and is resistant to oil aerosols while protecting the eyes.  

What is the P100 rating?  

The P100 filter rating means that the respirator is proof against particulates in oil aerosols including asbestos. However, the “100” may be misleading; this does not denote a 100% efficiency, but rather the highest possible filtering efficiency of 99.97%.  

Here are a few quick facts about asbestos exposure and respiratory protection:  

• General-use masks, neck gaiters, and bandanas will NOT protect against asbestos fibres. 

• All disposable dust masks, regardless of their ratings (N95 or KN95) will NOT protect against asbestos fibres. 

• The minimum level of protection from severe asbestos exposure is from a respirator that can filter at least 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 micrometers in size.  

For a more detailed and comprehensive guide on choosing the right respirator for protection against asbestos, you can refer to the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z94.4-02 (R2007). 

Importance of a proper fit 

An asbestos respirator with a high safety rating would be useless if it doesn’t fit the user properly. That's why it’s important to follow the OSHA guidelines on checking the fit of a respirator. Each time a worker puts on a respirator, they must do respirator fit testing with these two tests:  

1. Negative pressure test 

This involves having the wearer block the filter inlets with their hands and then breathe in and out. The wearer must observe whether there is air coming in around the edges of the asbestos mask. A perfect respirator fit shouldn't produce air leaks. 

2. Positive pressure test 

In this test, the wearer blocks the exit vent on the mask with their hand while breathing in and out. This time, the wearer observes if there’s any air escaping around the edges of the asbestos mask. A respirator with the proper fit won’t have any escaping air. Also, to have a perfect fit, users must go without any facial hair, especially beards. Make sure that your workers are clean-shaven before they do their fit check.  

Asbestos masks in Canada 

Here are some samples of the best-performing asbestos masks in the country, but don’t take our word for it, make sure to do your due diligence and find the respirator with the specs that fit your needs. 

3M 6000 Lead & Asbestos Respirator Combination 

• Half-mask respirator with a pair of 3M 2091 P100 filters  
• Helps protect against asbestos, lead dust, and cadmium dust 
• Good for short-term jobs or projects 

Moldex 7000 Series Half-Mask Respirator 

• Can be fitted with a 7940 P100 filter or 7990 P100 cartridge 
• Used in environments where asbestos, lead, cadmium, and inorganic arsenic are present 
• N95 and R95 ratings make it good for welding, grinding, machining, bagging, buffing, metal working, mining, poultry, sanding, wood, furniture, textiles, and waste processing 
   

3M 6000 Series Full-Type Respirator Mask, Medium Size 

• Provides excellent protection from particles, gases and vapours 
• Has twin lightweight filters 
• Features a silicone face seal for enhanced comfort and durability 

Even today, asbestos-related illnesses like asbestosis, mesothelioma, and the cancers workers can get from them are still among the most common occupational diseases in Canada. That’s why choosing the right asbestos mask or respirator is crucial for your workplace safety. 

Did you find this guide on how to choose the best asbestos masks helpful? Be sure to let us know in the comments.