Rank: Forum user 
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I am working in a category II microbiological lab. Our line manager decided that we must start to work with disposable mask in order to protect the testing from our breathe. I was quite happy with the idea because at the same time we could protect ourself from any contamination. We started to use disposable FPP1 mask and I sugessted disposable FPP3 mask (are the ones that are suitable for biological risk). The issue is that now we have been advised by our line manager about change the disposable mask once every 15 days or maybe once every month. I find that measure not acceptable. According the information that I have from providers and my training in H&S disposable mask doesn´t be used more than one day. Which is your opinion regarding this?
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Rank: Super forum user
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This is probably not the best H&S forum to discuss this but let’s go: I my opinion having worked in number of microbiology labs in the UK at a number of containment levels I would say that you should not be relying
on any sort of face mask as a primary form of control. First you need to carry out a formal risk assessment to identify the risk that the organisms you are working with pose and then you should apply suitable controls. PPE such as masks are always regarded as the least favoured option. For an airborne Hazard Group 2 pathogen the best form of control is a Class II Microbiological Safety Cabinet (it has to be microbiological safety cabinet, not a laminar flow). The Cabinet will need to be properly installed and maintained and routinely checked (in the UK it is classed as LEV and revalidated at least every 14 months).
Face masks have in my opinion no place in a microbiology lab, as a lab is an environment over which you have pretty much have total control, so you should be able to apply the optimum controls .
Face masks can be used in the field for example when dealing with potentially infected animals but not in any sort of lab.
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Rank: Forum user
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The comment attributed to the lab manager “Our line manager decided that we must start to work with disposable mask in order to protect the testing from our breath” seems somewhat strange.
Most disposable and reuse masks are designed to protect the wearer not
others.
As Andrew says it is very unusual to find disposable masks being
used in a correctly designed cat 2 lab
If the lab manager is concerned about contamination of
samples I would suggest he should consider carrying out the work in an isolator.
Thus protecting the samples from any potential contamination.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Sorry I misread the question. If the issue is contamination not the hazard posed by the work then I strongly suggest that you look at your microbiological and aseptic techniques, rather than rely on masks. I have worked with respiratory viruses and we never wore any sort of mask. Cell culture was carried out in a Class II safety cabinet.
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Rank: Super forum user
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The orinigal question seems to relate to the use of a surgical mask, such as those worn by Dr's to prevent transfer of droplets of liquid from the users/Dr's mount / nose during respiration to the patient, or in this case sample - NOT to protect the Dr.
A secondary effect of the use of such as mask (or in this case a higher level of protective device (a P2 rather than a P1) could be the reduction of inhalation of particles (not bacteria or virus unless adhered onto a larger droplet of liquid) - but this would not protect the user significantly either from particles of very small sizes nor to a significantly low concentrations.
Therefore I would agree that such a mask could be use to protect your "testing" from your own breath, but would not protect yourself so much.
The second point you raise is on the frequency of replacement. Normally this is daily due to both the blocking and effectiveness of the mask through use by partcles being inhaled and also from a hygiene perspective. Now as the mask is not being used to protect against inhalation, and the concentration of such dusts in the work air likly to be very low, the loading on to the mask is therefore unlikely to be considerable and its performance not greatly effected, however the hygiene issue would still remain.
One final word of caution, do not chose a mask with an exhalation valve, this would completely defeat the objective of the mask and allow unfiltered (though without a tight fitting mask the effectiveness due to poor seal of a P1 mask would also be questionable) breath to pass through - possibly on to your sample.
Edited by user 04 August 2017 14:00:45(UTC)
| Reason: Typos
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Rank: Forum user
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Thanks for your comments. Aseptic tecnique should be followed all time for everyone. I have never had problem of contamination because of my breathe in any lab that I been working. I like the idea of mask because no risk assesssment have been performance but I find that if I am wearing a mask for all my working day, it is not very clean use it the next day. Besides, sometimes (rare) you suffer some splatter over your face. Goggles protect your eyes, mask stops it. I can clean very easyly my goggles but a disponsable mask is not possible to clean, apart that it is difficult to realise when the splatter happened. If you keep disponsable mask you have your own bacteria (from your mouth and nose) inside and whatever which your splatter over it outside of it
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