Which respirators should boarding teams use in environments with suspected respiratory biohazards?

When it comes to environments with suspected respiratory biohazards, the use of N95 or N100 respirators is highly appropriate. These respirators are designed to filter out a significant percentage of airborne particles, including large respiratory droplets and smaller aerosolized pathogens, which makes them suitable for scenarios where there is a risk of inhaling harmful biological agents.

N95 respirators filter out at least 95% of airborne particles, while N100 respirators filter out at least 99.97%. This high level of filtration is crucial in protecting boarding team members from possible exposure to infectious agents, making the choice of N95 or N100 respirators both effective and recommended for such situations.

In contrast, full face respirators provide enhanced protection by covering the entire face, which could offer a higher level of seal and protection compared to N95s. However, for specific respiratory biohazard concerns, N95 and N100 are typically considered sufficient in well-ventilated areas where risks are managed, making them the preferred choice in many cases.

Disposable surgical masks are primarily intended to block large droplets and do not provide the same level of filtration as N95 or N100 respirators. Therefore, they would not offer adequate protection against airborne infectious agents.