>Gas mask training was my favorite day because everybody got to feel their mucus membranes start to vent everything while a sergeant screamed at them that they were screwing up things that a baby could do right.
Unfortunately, even if it is not hard to get a good fit, fit testing may be cost-prohibitive. After checking the prices for 3M, MSA, and Allegro, I found that the median price of a fit test kit is $363.50 (25th percentile is $296.25 and 75th percentile is $463.36).
After you buy all the pieces (2 respirators with plans to return the one that doesn’t fit, 2 sets of cartridges, fit test kit) from Amazon.com and Fisher Scientific, the cost is >=$290 as of January 8, 2022 excluding shipping and taxes.
Other comments on the post (https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/) indicate that fit testing is much easier to accomplish with an elastomeric respirator (often referred to as “P100” due to the filter).
>”Only a handful of people in my training platoon of 50 completely lost their shit”
(https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/#comment-869475)
>Gas mask training was my favorite day because everybody got to feel their mucus membranes start to vent everything while a sergeant screamed at them that they were screwing up things that a baby could do right.
(https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/#comment-869550)
Unfortunately, even if it is not hard to get a good fit, fit testing may be cost-prohibitive. After checking the prices for 3M, MSA, and Allegro, I found that the median price of a fit test kit is $363.50 (25th percentile is $296.25 and 75th percentile is $463.36).
After you buy all the pieces (2 respirators with plans to return the one that doesn’t fit, 2 sets of cartridges, fit test kit) from Amazon.com and Fisher Scientific, the cost is >=$290 as of January 8, 2022 excluding shipping and taxes.