What’s special about Chemical, Biological,

Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN)

air‐purifying respirators (APR)?

The	guidance	recommended	in	this	fact	

sheet	will	help	respiratory	protection	

program	administrators,	managers,	and	

air‐purifying	respirator	(APR)	wearers	

understand	the	special features of a

NIOSH‐approved	Chemical,	Biological,	

Radiological,	and	Nuclear	(CBRN)	APR.		

These	types of	respirators	have	unique	

performance,	use	limitations,	and	storage	

requirements	compared	to	NIOSH‐

approved	industrial	APR.		The	respiratory	

protection	program	administrator should	

assure	that	CBRN	APR	manufacturer	

recommendations	are	addressed.	This	

information may	also	be	used	by	

managers	and	APR	wearers	to	optimize	

personal	protection.			

When	using,	purchasing,	or	storing	a	

CRBN	APR,	the	requirements	set	by	

NIOSH,	Occupational	Safety	and	Health	

Administration	(OSHA),	and	the	

manufacturer	of	the	specific	unit	should	

all	be	taken	into	consideration.	

Remember,	approved	CBRN	APR	may	

only	be	used	for	escape	from	an	

atmosphere	that	has	become	immediately	

dangerous	to	life	or	health.	These	

respirators	must	not	be	used	in	oxygen‐

deficient	atmospheres or	to	enter	an	

atmosphere	immediately	dangerous	to life	or	

health.	OSHA	defines	an	atmosphere

immediately	dangerous	to	life	or	health	as	

follows:		An	atmospheric	concentration	of	any	

toxic,	corrosive	or asphyxiant	substance	that

poses	an	immediate	threat	to	life or	would	

interfere	with	an individual's	ability	to	escape

from	a	dangerous	atmosphere	(29 CFR	

1910.120(a)(3)).		

NIOSH Fact Sheet 

What is the significance of the

CBRN standards?

In	January	2004,	the	National	Institute	for	

Occupational	Safety	and	Health	(NIOSH)	

implemented	a	voluntary	approval	

program	for	CBRN	APR. NIOSH	standards	

and	tests	provide	scientifically‐based,	

industry‐accepted	evaluation	criteria	that	

establish	levels	of	protection	for	

approved	respirators.	These	respirators	

are	tested	to	ensure	they	meet	these	

levels	of	protection	against specified	

levels	of	CBRN	agents.	The	standards	and	

tests	significantly	affect selection,	use,	

and	maintenance	requirements	of	CBRN	

APR	as	compared	to	other	NIOSH‐

approved	industrial	APR.	

A	complete	description	of	the	standards	

and	tests	are	available	at:	

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/respst

ds.html#approved and	

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/stps/re

spirator_testing.htm#STP_APR_CBRN.	

To	ensure	the	proper	care,	effective use,	

and	derive	optimal	protective	benefits	of	

a	CBRN	APR,	a	respiratory	protection	

program	administrator	must	be	aware	of	

the	CBRN	APR’s	unique	performance	

capabilities,	limitations	of	use	and	special	

storage	requirements	specified	by	the	

manufacturer.		APR	wearers	should	also	

be	trained	to	fully	understand	and	

appreciate	the	unique	characteristics	of	

the	CBRN	APR	in	order	to	obtain	optimal	

protection during	use.	

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
           

	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	 	

		

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

A	NIOSH–approved	APR	that	is	not

approved	with	CBRN	protection	must	not	

be	for	protection	against	chemical	

warfare	agents.	Always refer to and

understand the manufacturer’s user

instructions.

How can one determine if the

APR is NIOSH‐approved for

CBRN protection level?

Each	NIOSH	certificate	of	approval	

includes	labels	to	be	used	by	the	

applicant.		To	determine	if	an	APR has	

been	approved	by	NIOSH	for	CBRN	

protection,	the	full	NIOSH	approval	label	

for	the	facepiece	and	canister	should	be	

consulted.		A	full	approval	label	contains	

important	information	to	assist	users	in	

understanding	the	respirator,	its	

protections, cautions	and	limitations	of	

use,	and	approved	assembly	of	

components. This	is	a	paper	label	

provided	with	the	facepiece	and	canister.		

The	full	approval	label	contains	the	

following:	

	 Department	of	Health	and	Human	

Services	(DHHS)	and	NIOSH	

Logos.	

	 NIOSH	TC	approval	number—The	

NIOSH	approval	number	(TC‐14G‐

XXXX	for	tight‐fit	CBRN	gas	mask)	

shown	with row	of	components.	

“CBRN”	is	not	contained	in	the	

approval	number.	

	 Type	and	level	of	protection—The	

CBRN	protection	is	listed	with	

“CBRN”	and	a	capacity	level	(e.g.,	

CBRN	Cap1,	CBRN	Cap2).	

	 Exact	part	numbers	of	the	CBRN	

components	listed	in	a	row	

beginning	with	the	NIOSH	TC	

approval	number.

 Caution	and	limitation	statements.

Care must be taken to identify the

components of the APR with CBRN

protection because the full NIOSH

approval label may contain both CBRN

APR and non‐CBRN protection. The

respiratory protection program

administrator should assure the APR is

assembled with the correct components

for the required protection.

Labels	attached	directly	on	the	CBRN	

canister	are	most	often	adhesive	labels	

and	the	printed	labels appearing	on	their	

containers	provide	condensed	

information.	The	canister	label	includes	

the	NIOSH	emblem,	the	applicant’s	name	

and	address,	an	approval	number	

assigned	by the	Institute,	protections	(e.g.	

CBRN	Cap1,	CBRN	Cap2),	and	cautions	or	

limitations	of	use	placed	on	the	CBRN	

APR	by	the	Institute.	It	does	not	contain	

the	listing	of the	components	required	for	

the	NIOSH	approved	assembly.		

The	labels	placed	on	canisters	are	also	

color	coded.	The	color	of	a	CBRN	APR	

canister	is	olive.			The	color	marking	can	

be	achieved	by	either	the	color	of	the	

label	or	the	body	of	the	component.		

Where	the	color	marking	is	achieved	by	

label	color,	the	body	of	the	component	

may	be	any	color.	

Other	components	such as	the	facepiece	

of	the	CBRN	APR	assembly	are	not	

required	to	contain	the	NIOSH	emblem	or	

CBRN	marking.		Components	are	not	

required	by NIOSH	to	be	individually	

labeled/marked	“CBRN”.	Some	

manufacturers	may	label	the	actual	

components	with	CBRN logo	but	most	do	

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
           

	 	

	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	

		

	 	 	 	

	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	

	 	

not.		NIOSH	requires	that	each	respirator	

component	and	container	be	labeled	

distinctly	to show	the lot	number,	serial	

number,	or	approximate	date of	

manufacture	of	the	component.	

For	more	details	on	how	to	read	a	NIOSH	

approval	label,	refer	to the	NIOSH	Fast		

Fact	sheet	on	NIOSH Approval Labels—

Key Information to Protect Yourself,

posted	on	the	NIOSH	National	Personal	

Protective	Technology	Laboratory	

(NPPTL)	website	at:	

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2011‐

179/

How do CBRN APR testing

procedures apply to real‐

world use?

Chemical Agent Permeation and

Penetration Resistance Tests

These	tests	assure	that	under	specified	

laboratory	conditions	the	CBRN	APR	

assembly	of	components,	including	the	

materials	used	in	the	respirator	

construction	(facepiece,	valves,	lens,	

gaskets,	etc.),	resist	chemical	warfare	

agent	migration	through	the	completely	

assembled	APR.	Only	those	components	

with	specific	part	numbers	as	listed	in	the	

NIOSH	approval	can	be	a	component	of	

the	NIOSH‐approved	CBRN	APR	assembly	

and	expected	to	provide	this	protection.	

Industrial	APR	with	canisters	is	not tested	

against	chemical	warfare	agent	and	

evaluated	for	permeation	and	

penetration.	The	components	of

industrial	APR	and	CBRN	APR	are	not	

interchangeable	even	if	they	appear to	be	

similar.	

Some	NIOSH‐approved	CBRN	APR	require	

special	components	(e.g.,	lens	outserts	

[protective	coverings],	mask	

skins/covers),	which	must	be	in	place	for	

the	respirator	to	provide	CBRN	

protection.		

Failure to use the eyepiece outserts and

the top skin/cover as specified in the

NIOSH approval may result in

permeation of warfare agents through

the facepiece. Use of components not

listed on the full NIOSH approval label

for the CBRN APR facepiece or canister

constitutes components not included in

the NIOSH CBRN APR approval and may

result in serious injury and/or death of

the wearer.

The	CBRN	APR	assembly	of	components	

is	required	to	have	a	minimum	test life	of

at	least	8	hours	against	50	mg/m3

distilled	sulfur	mustard	(HD)	vapor or	

210	mg/m3 sarin	(GB)	vapor.	

Additionally,	these	respirators	have	a	

limitation	of	two	hours	when	exposed	to	

liquid	droplets	or	vapor.

A	CBRN	APR	is	considered	to	be	

contaminated	and	must	be	discarded	

after	initial	contact	with any	liquid	or	

vapor	phase	chemical	warfare	agent,	

regardless	of	the	duration	or	frequency	of	

such	contact.		The	entire	CBRN	APR	must	

be	decontaminated	and	disposed	of	in	

accordance	with	manufacturer’s	

instructions	and	applicable	regulations.		

Canister Gas/Vapor Challenge and

Breakthrough Concentration Service

Life Tests

NIOSH	evaluates	CBRN	canisters	in	

laboratory	tests	for	concentrations	of	gas	

or	vapor	breakthrough	(passing	through	

the	canister)	at	various	flow	rates,	

concentrations,	and	durations.	NIOSH	

tests	the	canister	to	the	minimum	

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
           

	 	 	 	

	 	 		

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

		

	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	

	 	 	

	 	 	

	 	

laboratory	service	life	(test	time)	

specified	by	the	manufacturer.	

For	less	than	a	60	minute	service	life,	the	

canister	capacity	is	specified	in	15‐minute	

intervals,	identified	by	a	capacity	level.		A	

designation	of	Cap1	refers	to	a	

laboratory‐rated	service life	of 15	

minutes,	Cap2—30	minutes,	and	Cap3—

45	minutes.	The	canister	must	meet	or	

exceed	the	manufacturer’s	specified	

service	life	time	during	the	laboratory	test	

without	exceeding	the	NIOSH	identified	

breakthrough	concentration	level	for	the	

test	gas	or	vapor.	

Workplace conditions are rarely

identical to laboratory‐controlled tests.

Therefore, the actual in‐use service life

of a CBRN APR when used in the

workplace may differ from the NIOSH

laboratory‐rated performance. A

change schedule should be established

by the person responsible for respirator

use prior to using a CBRN APR.

Laboratory Respirator Protection Level

(LRPL) Test

This	test	assesses	the	respirator’s	ability	

to	fit	a	wide	range	of	facial	sizes	and	

shapes.	It	also	ensures	that	instructions	

for	the	facepiece	size	selection	and

donning	are	understood	and	effective.	

The	LRPL	test	does	not	preclude	the	need	

to	conduct	an	individual	fit	test	of the	

CBRN	APR	facepiece	for	each	wearer	as	

required	by OSHA.		It	should	be	noted	that	

the	manufacturer	specified	quantitative	

fit	factor	required	in	conducting	an

individual	fit	test	of a	CBRN	APR	may	

differ	from	the	OSHA	required	value	of	

500	(10x	the	assigned	protection	factor	of	

50)	for	a		tight‐fitting	full	facepiece	

respirator.	Respirator manufacturers	may	

specify	a	quantitative	fit	factor	higher	

than	that	required	by	OSHA.	For	example,	

where	OSHA	requires	a	fit	factor of	500	

for	a	tight‐fitting	full	facepiece,	the	APR	

manufacturer	may	recommend	a	

quantitative	fit	factor	as	high	as	2,500.	

Care	must	be	taken	by	the	RPP	

administrator	in	assuring	a	proper	fit	for	

each	wearer	as	specified	in	the	

manufacturer’s	user	instructions.	

Always refer to the manufacturer’s use

instructions included with each CBRN

APR facepiece for the recommended

minimum quantitative fit factor.

Are CBRN APR components

interchangeable regardless

of manufacturer?

Unlike	industrial	APR,	CBRN	APR	are	

evaluated	by NIOSH	to	assure	that	each	

CBRN	canister	can	provide	the	specified	

level	of	protection	on	all	facepieces	that	

are	a	component	of	a	NIOSH‐approved	

CBRN	APR	assembly,	regardless	of	

manufacturer.	NIOSH	assures	this	

interoperability	of	components	through	

design	requirements	controlling	the	

respirator/canister	connector	and	the	

canister	physical	characteristics.	NIOSH	

also	assures	that	the	use	of	facepieces	and	

canisters	from	different	manufacturers	

and	NIOSH‐approved	CBRN	assemblies	

will	not	affect	the	fit	of	the	respirator.		

When	assembled	in	this	configuration,	

know	that	the	respirator	is	not	in	the	

approved	configuration and	may	not	

provide	the	same	performance	features	

(e.g.	breathing	resistance).	However,	

OSHA	may	permit	the	interoperable	use	

of	CBRN	APR	facepieces	and	canisters	

among	NIOSH‐approved	CBRN	APR	

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
           

	 	 	 	

		

during emergencies only.	Thus,	mixing	

CBRN	facepieces	and	CBRN	canisters	

among	NIOSH‐approved	respirators	

during	non‐emergency	operations	is	not	

permitted	outside	an emergency	

situation.

What are the Minimum

Packaging Requirements?

The	CBRN	APR	and	its	required	

components	are	subjected	by	NIOSH	to	

environmental	and	durability	

conditioning tests	in	the	manufacturer‐

specified	minimum	packaging	

configuration	(MPC).		The	MPC	is	the	

protective packaging in	which	the	end	

user	will	store	or	maintain	the	CBRN	APR	

and	the	required	components.	Failure	to	

store	the	CBRN	APR	in the	manufacturer’s	

recommended	MPC	may	allow	damage	to	

occur	that	could	affect	the	APR	or	its	

components	to	provide	the	expected	level	

of	protection.		The	damage	may	not	be	

detectible	by	the	user	prior	to	use.		

Examples	of	common	MPC’s	include	hard	

plastic	carriers,	clamshell	containers,	

drawstring	plastic	bags,	and	hermetically	

sealed	canister	bags.	Each	manufacturer	

is	likely	to	have	unique	packaging.	The	

manufacturer’s	user	instructions	and	the	

full	NIOSH	approval	label	will	identify	the	

required	MPC.	

In	addition	to	the	MPC,	the	canister

packaging	and	vacuum	or	airtight‐sealed	

wrapping	are	commonly	marked	with	a	

shelf	life	date.	This	date	indicates	the	

expiration date	of	the	component.	The	

canister	can	be	used	up	to	the	expiration	

date	if	it	has	been	maintained	as	specified	

by	the	manufacturer.	The	canister	should	

not	be	used if	the	expiration	date	has	

been	exceeded. Additionally,	always	store	

the	canister	in	the	manner	(packaging,	

environmental	temperatures	and	

humidity,	etc.)	described	by	the	

manufacturer. For	CBRN	canisters	stored	

in	an	MPC	inspect	the	MPC	for	damage	as	

described	by	the	manufacturer.	Do	not	

use	the	canister	if	the	vacuum	or	airtight	

sealed	wrapping	is	damaged.	

Authors:	

Richard	W.	Metzler,	Program	Analyst,	

DHHS,	Federal	Occupational	Health	

Program,	Environmental	Health	Services	

Division		

Jonathan	V.	Szalajda, Engineer,	National	

Institute	for Occupational	Safety	and	

Health,	National	Personal	Protective

Technology	Laboratory		

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
           

 

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DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2013–157 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM 

September 2013 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
           

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