P100 are nice, but it’s very hard to find a disposable P100 that actually seals to the face properly like disposable N95/ffp2 do. Since sars-cov-2 is primarily spread via aerosols the most important thing is not the absolute filtration effectiveness of your mask but instead to completely seal it. An N95 sealed with medical tape to the face will far outperform an P100 that has a couple mm^2 gap along edges and nose.
Full P100 respirators made of rubber and plastic do seal well, but yeah, they almost always have an exhaust valve with a small aperture. This makes these impossible to filter manually because the pressure drop is too high.
The best option in most situations is an N95/ffp2 that is sealed to the face. Masks that don’t fit or seal properly are more of a fashion statement. Anything that requires masking for sars-cov-2 reasons should require fitted masks that seal.
There are several elastomeric respirators that are ventless or that have add-on vent filters. I’ve heard that some of these respirators are not that comfortable to wear for long periods of time due to increased humidity, rather than pressure drop or C02 accumulation. I’ve tried a 3M 6000 series respirator with the 3M 604 exhalation valve filter, and I’ve noticed no significant increase in breathing difficulty, but I didn’t use it long enough to determine if humidity accumulation is a problem.
Ventless disposables can also have humidity issues, so you’re probably better off with an elastomeric anyway.
P100 are nice, but it’s very hard to find a disposable P100 that actually seals to the face properly like disposable N95/ffp2 do. Since sars-cov-2 is primarily spread via aerosols the most important thing is not the absolute filtration effectiveness of your mask but instead to completely seal it. An N95 sealed with medical tape to the face will far outperform an P100 that has a couple mm^2 gap along edges and nose.
Full P100 respirators made of rubber and plastic do seal well, but yeah, they almost always have an exhaust valve with a small aperture. This makes these impossible to filter manually because the pressure drop is too high.
The best option in most situations is an N95/ffp2 that is sealed to the face. Masks that don’t fit or seal properly are more of a fashion statement. Anything that requires masking for sars-cov-2 reasons should require fitted masks that seal.
In this case, the idea is to use them in a mask-optional environment, where it then doesn’t matter whether their output is filtered?
There are several elastomeric respirators that are ventless or that have add-on vent filters. I’ve heard that some of these respirators are not that comfortable to wear for long periods of time due to increased humidity, rather than pressure drop or C02 accumulation. I’ve tried a 3M 6000 series respirator with the 3M 604 exhalation valve filter, and I’ve noticed no significant increase in breathing difficulty, but I didn’t use it long enough to determine if humidity accumulation is a problem.
Ventless disposables can also have humidity issues, so you’re probably better off with an elastomeric anyway.