edit: Avoiding the extra breathing effort is only part of the benefit. Respirators generally let a lot more pollutants in through leakage than through actual failure to capture them because it’s very hard to make a good seal around your face. A powered respirator can keep the internal pressure neutral or slightly positive, reducing the tendency for anything to leak in around the mask.
edit: Avoiding the extra breathing effort is only part of the benefit. Respirators generally let a lot more pollutants in through leakage than through actual failure to capture them because it’s very hard to make a good seal around your face. A powered respirator can keep the internal pressure neutral or slightly positive, reducing the tendency for anything to leak in around the mask.