Report

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) contracted with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to establish an ad hoc committee to review the NIOSH-sponsored Anthrotech report entitled, “Assessment of the NIOSH Head-and-Face Anthropometric Survey of U.S. Respirator Users.” The IOM committee examined the adequacy and validity of the NIOSH study, the data collected, and the recommended revisions to the set of facial characteristics that are to be used in testing the fit of respirators.

This review examined both the content and the form of the study, the appropriateness of its sample and its sample methodology, and the adequacy of the resultant data. Issues that were addressed included whether the revised panel of facial characteristics is representative of the diverse U.S. workforce and the adequacy of the anthropometric features and parameters
considered in the revised panel.

Three overarching themes of the committee’s findings and recommendations are the following:

1. The results of the NIOSH-sponsored Anthrotech study represent a clear improvement over the anthropometric data and corresponding LANL fit-test face panels that have been used since the 1970s;
2. Nonetheless, the NIOSH-sponsored Anthrotech study has a number of weaknesses that limit its effectiveness and reliability; and, therefore,
3. There are certain steps that should be taken to address the weaknesses, in order to move toward more effective testing and certification of respirators in the future.