An N95 mask is a half mask facepiece that purifies air for the wearer to breathe and protects the user from inhalation of non oil particulate matter of size roughly 0.3 microns and larger. This would include dust particles, for example.
The McCordick N95 mask is approved by the US NIOSH and protects the nose/mouth from non oily particulate matter. Since it is certified by the US NIOSH as meeting all requirements applicable to standard N95 respirators, it also provides protection from viral and bacterial pathogens.
Pack of 20 3M N95 respirators. Fully compliant with NIOSH requirements for N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators. The 1860 model is also fluid resistant.
Many bacterial and viral agents may be smaller then 0.3 microns. However, they are usually carried by particles that are larger than 0.3 microns. Hence, these facepieces will be able to block such agents also.
It is important to note that N95 masks are not designed to protect against harmful gases, vapors, fumes, etc. These could potentially be smaller than 0.3 microns.
N95 masks have shown the ability to meet performance standards laid out by the US NIOSH. NIOSH is an acronym that stands for the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health.
The NIOSH standards include:
The NIOSH N95 standards also include performance standards for exhalation valves, when the N95 mask has one. However, the masks in this section do not have exhalation valves. As a result, these standards do not apply to them.