
Originally Posted by
moojoe
First off, props to you that you actually are giving a damn about your safety. I know way to many people who say "ah, its just a few times, it wont do to much damage". I also know a lot of people though who did that, and have health issues because of it. and I've known others who have died from doing that kind of thing, so again, thats awesome that you actually care about your health.
to answer your question...
both respirators would work. the actual thing that goes on your head doesnt matter at all, its the cartridges that are connected to them. all of them have ratings, and depending on the ratings, you can either use it or not. that being said, I would go for the second respirator anyway, since its higher quality and thus will give you a better seal against your face.
there are a number of types of cartridges to worry about.
Acid gas: evaporating acids, bleaches, etc (abbreviated for AG)
Amonioa: cleaners (abbreviated for NH3)
Organic Vapor: Evaporating solvents (abbreviated for OV)
Formaldehyde: emitted from plywood, urea formaldehyde glues (abbreviated for FOR)
Paint, Lacquer, enamel mist: spray, airbrush, aerosol paints (abbreviated for PLE)
Pesticides: Sprays (abbreviated for PEST)
Asbestoes (abbreviated for A)
then a few others.
after that there are often three efficiency ratings to worry about.
95- 95% minimum efficiency
99- 99% minimum efficiency
100- 99.97% minimum efficiency
so looking at that information, you would want a PLE cartridge and I would say a 95% 99% efficiency. really depending on how much money you want to spend on them.
If you noticed, none of the things said anything about lead. thats because even if the lead is in the spray can, the PLE cartridge will take it out of the air, and you dont need to worry about that.
also, if the spray paint contains lead, its required by OSHA law to state that it does.
all of this being said, theres one more thing that not many people thing of. if you have any facial hair whatsoever, you may as well just not use the respirator. Air is like water, it will do whatever possible to come across the least amount of resistance. the cartridges create a fair amount of resistance, so if you have facial hair, it wont allow the mask to give a proper seal, and the air will just come through there since its a hell of a lot easier. so if you do have facial hair, I would say safety is more important, and either have someone else do it, or shave, and if you dont, just make sure you dont have much stubbly that day.