The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) is a research center within the

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the ...

located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, devoted to research on

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, ...

(PPE). The NPPTL was created in 2001 at the request of the U.S.

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, in response to a recognized need for improved research in PPE and technologies. It focuses on experimentation and recommendations for

respirator A respirator is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous atmospheres including fumes, vapours, gases and particulate matter such as dusts and airborne pathogens such as viruses. There are two main categories of resp ...

masks, by ensuring a level of standard filter efficiency, and develops criteria for testing and developing PPE. The laboratory conducts research and provides recommendations for other types of PPE, including protective clothing, gloves, eye protection, headwear, hearing protection, chemical sensors, and communication devices for safe deployment of emergency workers. It also maintains certification for

N95 An N95 filtering facepiece respirator, commonly abbreviated N95 respirator, is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) N95 classification of air filtrat ...

respirators, and hosts an annual education day for N95 education. Its emergency response research is part of a collaboration with the

National Fire Protection Association The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. As of 2018, the NFPA claims to have 50,000 mem ...

. The NPPTL also maintains a searchable listing of equipment that it has certified. In the 2010s, the NPPTL has focused on

pandemic influenza An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the las ...

preparedness, CBRNE incidents, miner PPE, and

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

External links

The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
- NPPTL homepage

- Searchable listing of Certified Equipment List

- Information on respirators

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory Protective gear National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

See also

External links

References