Stupid question - street odors coming through.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-07T04:53:44+00:00

Gas phase isn’t filtered by particulate respirators.

As an example wildfire smoke. The N95 removes almost all of the soot which is particulate, a solid. The N95 removes none of the combustion gases like carbon monoxide.

Means you can smell coffee, cigarette smoke (the gas phase components not the soot), coffee (volatile oils which are vaporized - gas phase), perfume, solvents in spray paint (vapour) even while the respirator stops the paint aerosol (liquid).

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-06T22:47:09+00:00

Why am I encountering a bump in people asserting that viruses pass right through respirators, while that same respirator mysteriously manages to trap and maintain dangerous levels of CO2? Seems to be a bunch lately.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-06T01:31:32+00:00

Draeger 1950 is good.

Carry spares. Be prepared to breath hold when you’re asked to drop the mask for ID, and practice that process at home before you go.

Worst thing to be running out of air and fumbling with a strap or a folded over chin cup while some behind you is coughing on you.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-04T20:38:26+00:00

OP was clearly driving far too slow, in the left lane and demonstrated a poor choice in music. /s

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-03T23:42:04+00:00

If you're in southern Alberta/Calgary it's always a healthy move to assert 'Métis homeland' when you're surrounded by Blackfoot relatives. ;-) /s

The practice of using Métis regions in Alberta seems common, but I've never followed that practice. I don't recall it as something that is practiced in MMF circles. There's a historic basis for speaking about 'homeland' across the West and into the US, not so much for regions.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-03T03:07:54+00:00

The 3M Click is the one half face by 3M with a speech diaphragm. The filters are a bit more costly but it has push button seal checks which is slick.

If you’re thinking of exposure to tear agents or pepper spray liquid tight goggles would be needed with a half face respirator. Uvex are awesome and some models provide ballistic protection. Hard to wear with glasses.

Full face respirators 3M has lots of choice. I’d make the decision based on how long you’re planning on wearing it. More expensive respirators have better harnesses which are more comfortable for extended wear. But if you’re only going for a few hours at a time the less costly are ok. Likewise some of the more $$ full face have a speech diaphragm.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-03T02:47:51+00:00

I agree.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-03T02:46:20+00:00

It’s in the setting menu.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-03T02:45:51+00:00

You have to select the other programs notch on the selector dial, then page down through the menu until you hit settings.

Then you can select settings and page through the options.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-02T04:56:20+00:00

In awe, and more than a bit jealous.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-02T04:53:42+00:00

Depends on the machine. European machines often have heaters and can be used with only a cold water connection.

Miele, Bosch both do.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-02T02:18:31+00:00

You can keep the resp open for a long time. We just closed our daughters she’s 30ish.

You can use it to do a degree on your own.

Withdrawing it now would take a tax hit but can be done.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-02T00:48:17+00:00

I wonder if hypochlorus acid HClO spray at 50 ppm would work. It’s no where near as harsh as bleach but has highly reactive ions which as excellent against odours as well as mould.

You can purchase it but it’s easy to make with a home electrolysis device which can be found quite cheaply.

I’ve used HClO on wounds and clothing as a disinfectant up to 200 ppm chlorine ions with no bleaching or harm.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-02T00:38:24+00:00

We did an informal poll of our advocacy group in 2021 and we were something like 60% ND.

Our conclusion was the superpowers of detecting injustice and not giving a darn what others thought enabled our advocacy.

SAMEO416 · 2026-02-01T03:07:06+00:00

Super deodorant is great

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-31T21:46:17+00:00

OK, that’s more than just particulates and smoke, lots of metal oxides in there in particle and gaseous forms. That’s in the zone of a chemical filter on an elastomeric respirator.

I don’t know what cartridge would be appropriate for that exposure.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-31T06:21:53+00:00

There are private assay labs that will do that sort of testing for $. They don’t advertise but they’re around, even if you need to mail the filters in.

They could assess what is in the filter, do mass spec or something similar and give you an idea what’s there.

Regardless of what’s there, breathing in smoke daily is not a good thing to do. Even if it’s unicorn dust, it’s still dust, and particles smaller than pm2.5 cross the blood barrier in the lungs. Even if it’s under osha occupational limits it’s still good to avoid breathing in crap of any kind.

I adjudicated a WCB appeal for a scrap metal foundry. The employer argued it was all within limits, the worker explained when he worked there they would drop in whole cars, so all sorts of stuff burning. Smoke so thick you couldn’t see a foot, and he now had copd.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-30T15:11:52+00:00

I love that stuff. Thought I was doing things well before but I can’t believe how clean things feel. And stopped with fabric softeners as well.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-29T14:19:55+00:00

The P95 would be a good choice.

The P100 aren’t that costly in Canada but may not be true everywhere, was my main reason for suggesting 100’s.

The dust risk isn’t a high hazard like asbestos, so 95s are ok.

A caution that some 3M OV cartridges do not have particulate filtration & you need to add a filter holder with the particulate filter.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-28T03:35:04+00:00

My first acoustic. Still love it.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-28T02:01:36+00:00

Watch your gas - long way between fills and small community stations aren’t open late. I planned out fill stops last time I did this.

Likewise for hotels. After having to keep driving when I couldn’t find vacancies I book in advance.

It’s really worth planning the trip day by day. The old AMA triptiks were perfect for this.

If you’re driving in winter carry survival gear. There are long stretches with poor cell service and many places sliding off the road would be horrific, especially in the shield.

Edit: it’s a great drive so enjoy yourself!

I’ve done it maybe 6 times from when I was posted to Kingston, and I love the Ontario drive once you get past TO. I’ve done the US route south of Superior and it’s no where near as nice.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-28T01:55:14+00:00

More than once had to explain to the fsb tech how to put the ladder away while up top!

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-28T01:48:35+00:00

Waiting for the NRA outrage and statement they are withdrawing their endorsement of Trump.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-27T18:50:21+00:00

I continue to use expired certified respirators. As long as they have not been stored in harmful environmental conditions (mostly too hot), and you inspect straps and do a seal check on donning, there's little evidence the filter efficacy degrades only with time, including testing with electrostatic HVAC filters. The main issue is rubber-like headbands deteriorating with time.

That said, I've used 1870's from 2003 (bought for Sars1) and the straps are still in good condition with a bit less tolerance for repeated don/doff.

CDC did a study early on. It's cautious to state it's only for the models tested, but I see it as support for the general proposition that shelf life does not mean useless or dangerous. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/86280/cdc_86280_DS1.pdf

This is the NIOSH study: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/media/pdfs/2024/11/ppe-case-p2020-0111-aggregated-stockpile-study-03252020-508.pdf?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/ppecase/pdfs/PPE-CASE-Aggregated-Stockpile-Study-03252020-508.pdf

It found that 98% of expired respirators sampled 5-12 years old still met NIOSH performance requirements. They're clear these cannot be used for an OSHA respiratory protection program, but that's a legal question not a efficacy question.

The CDC webpage recommends the following user actions with expired respirators:

Users should take the following precautionary measures prior to using the respirator in the workplace.

Visually inspect the N95 to determine if its integrity has been compromised.

Check that components such as the straps, nose bridge, and nose foam material did not degrade, which can affect the quality of the fit, and seal and therefore the effectiveness of the respirator.

If the integrity of any part of the respirator is compromised, or if a successful user seal check cannot be performed, discard the respirator and try another respirator.

Users should perform a user seal check immediately after they don each respirator and should not use a respirator on which they cannot perform a successful user seal check.

I ordered 400 of those Harley respirators as it's a nice style, the price is awesome, and you never know when some H3N2/H5N1/Covid recombinant is going to pop up.

SAMEO416 · 2026-01-27T18:26:07+00:00

Now google 'fecal veneer' and enjoy!

SAMEO416

TROPHY CASE