The convincing reason as to why more and more firms are including paper dust masks as part of the personal protective gear for their blasters is clear when one examines the paper masks after each use. The smudges of lead dust on the outside of the mask are measurable amounts of lead that did not get into the worker's lungs and bloodstream. Every little bit of lead hurts, since the average time that lead stays in the human body is over 11 years. The masks may cost a few cents and only be made of paper. However, they are worth their weight in gold when used to further reduce the exposure of industrial painters to lead.
Air lines seem to be such a trivial little thing.
However, air lines are the means of providing clean and safe air to a man in an enclosure surrounded by toxic levels of lead dust. Small mistakes with air lines can cause big problems in overexposing workers. To get a safe environment inside the abrasive blasting helmet, sufficient air must be provided continuously through the air line. Nevertheless, it is easy to estimate the cfm of air, based upon the pressure at the point of attachment and the length of the hose between that point and the man's helmet. With that approval comes a set of helmet use limitations.