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Standard for Gas Mask (Ministry of Labour Notification No. 68 of September 26, 1990) Latest Amendments: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No.299 of September 18, 2001
Japanese
The Standard for Gas Mask has been enacted as follows conforming to and in order to enforce the Industrial Safety and Health Law (Law No. 57 of 1972).
Contents Article 1 Scope of application Article 2 Type of gas mask Article 3 Materials Article 4 Test on strength Article 5,6 Structure Article 7 Performance tests Article 8 Labeling and others Article 9 Exceptions of this Standard Supplementary Provisions
(Scope of application)
Article 1 The standard issued in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification is applied to the gas masks which are categorized into those described in the left column of the following Table, according to the kinds of hazardous materials (including particulates which coexist with these gaseous materials) described in the right column of the same Table, among the gas masks to be used at the places where gases, vapors and particulates mixed with these gases or vapors may harm the human body by inspiring them. However, this standard is not applied to those gas masks used in places where oxygen concentration is below 18% or the concentrations of gases or vapors exceeds 2% ( in case the gas is ammonia, the concentration exceeds 3%).
Category Hazardous materials
Gas masks for halogens Halogen gases or vapors
Gas masks for organic compounds Organic compound vapors
Gas masks for carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide
Gas masks for ammonia Ammonia
Gas masks for sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide
(Type of gas mask)
Article 2
Gas masks shall be categorized into the types described in the left column of the following Table, according to the form and the scope of application described in the right column of the same Table.
Type Form and scope of application
It is composed of a canister, a breathing tube, inhalation valve(s), a facepiece, exhalation valve(s), and head harness. Clean air filtered by Front or the canister is inhaled from the inhalation valve(s) through the back mounted breathing tube , and exhaled air is exhausted from the exhalation type gas mask valve(s) to outside atmosphere, and is used in the atmosphere where the concentration of the gases or vapors is less than 2 % (3 % for ammonia).
It is composed of canister(s), inhalation valve(s), a facepiece, exhalation valve(s) and head harness. Clean air filtered by the Chin -style canister(s) is inhaled from the inhalation valve(s), and exhaled air is gas mask exhausted from the exhalation valve(s) to outside atmosphere, and is used in the atmosphere where the concentration of the gases or vapors is less than 1 % (1.5 % for ammonia).
It is composed of chemical cartridge(s), inhalation valve(s), a
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It is composed of chemical cartridge(s), inhalation valve(s), a facepiece, exhalation valve(s) and head harness. Clean air filtered by Chemical the cartridges(s) is inhaled from the inhalation valve(s), and exhaled cartridge air is exhausted from the exhalation valve(s) to outside atmosphere. It respirator is used in the atmosphere where the concentration of the gases or vapors is less than 0.1 %, and is not used for emergency.
2 Facepiece of gas masks shall be categorized into the types described in the left column of the following Table, according to the form described in the right column of the same Table.
Type Form
Full-face It covers whole face. facepiece
Half mask It covers only nose and around mouth. facepiece
3 Gas masks shall be categorized into types with and without the function to filter particulate contaminants, and the gas masks with the function to filter particulates shall be categorized into S1, S2, S3, L1, L2, and L3, according to its performance.
(Materials)
Article 3
The materials to be used for each part of gas masks shall conform to the requirements described in the following each item.
1. The material used at the part tightly contacted with face must give no harm to the skin.
2. The inside of the gas filter must be composed of the material which is not corroded by filter material or must be surface-treated enough so that it is not corroded by filter material.
3. The filter material must give no harm to human body.
4. The material used must be strong enough not to be defected to give tear or distortion by ordinary application. (Test on strength)
Article 4
The individual part of gas masks shall conform to the requirements described in the right column of the following Table, when it is submitted to the tests described in the middle column of the same Table, according to the parts described in the left column of the same Table.
Parts Tests Requirements
Head harness and (Pulling Test) Breakage or its mounting base of Each combination of head harness and its separation on the facepiece mounting base of the facepiece is pulled with both parts tension force of 50 Newton for full-face type must not be facepiece, with tension force of 25 Newton for caused. half mask facepiece, and investigated whether breakage or separation is caused.
Breathing tube of (Pulling Test) Breakage or front or back mounted Breathing tube and its mounting base of separation on type gas mask and its facepiece is pulled by the force of 98 both parts mounting base of the Newton.and investigated whether breakage or must not be facepiece separation is caused caused.
(Structure)
Article 5
The structure of gas masks shall conform to the requirements shown in the following each item.
1. It must be not easy to break. 2. It must be easy to wear, and not to give a pressed feeling or pain when being worn.
3. The dead space must not be too large.
4. It must not remarkably narrow the visual field of the wearer.
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4. It must not remarkably narrow the visual field of the wearer.
5. The gas mask having full-face type facepiece should not be dimmed at eyepiece(s) by exhalation. 6. Those gas masks having replaceable canister(s) or cartridge(s), inhalation valve(s), exhalation valve(s) or head harness should be so designed that those replaceable parts are easily replaced.
7. The air tightness between face and facepiece can be easily checked anytime by wearers themselves.
Article 6
The structure of individual part of gas masks shall conform to the requirements described in the right column of the following Table, according to the parts described in the left column of the same Table.
Part Requirements
Gas filter 1. Filter material must be packed tightly and not exposed to outside. (Canister and Chemical cartridge 2. It must be provided with filter material to capture particulates, if the gas mask has the function to prevent wearer's exposure to particulates.
Inhalation valve It must work reliably and quickly even for weak breathing.
Exhalation valve 1. It must work reliably and quickly even for weak breathing, at both wet and dry conditions of the valve and the valve seat.
2. When the inside and outside pressures of the gas mask is in equilibrium, the exhalation valve must be kept close tightly, whichever the facepiece is directed to.
3. It must be protected by cover or alike measures so that damage is not caused by forces given from outside.
Head harness 1. It must have appropriate length and elasticity, and the length of harness must be easily adjusted.
Breathing tube 1. It must have appropriate elasticity for expansion and contraction of length, and must cause no inconvenience in airflow when it is bent into variety of forms.
2. It must cause no problem in airflow when it is pressed by chin or arm.
3. The length must be long enough to cause no restriction of head movement.
(Performance tests)
Article 7
The performance of gas mask (except canisters and cartridges) shall conform to the requirements described in the right column of the following Table when it is tested by the test procedures described in the left column of the same Table.
Test procedures Requirements
(Test of air tightness) No leakage shall be detected. The air tightness of front or back mounted type gas masks, chin-style gas masks and chemical-cartridge respirators, is tested as follows. First, the exhalation valve(s) and the other end of a breathing tube connecting to the facepiece are closed for a front or back mounted type, or the exhalation valve(s) and the connection port(s) of a facepiece for canister(s) or cartridge(s) are closed respectively by putting a sealing piece(s), and then the facepiece is mounting onto a dummy head of the tightness test equipment. The facepiece is covered with a cloth wetted with an alcohol solution of phenolphthalein. Then, by sending air containing ammonia into the facepiece until the inside pressure reaches at 980 Pascal, color change of the cloth into red is investigated to find the parts where the air tightness is broken on the facepiece.
(Test of inhalation resistance) The pressure difference shall not exceed 70
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shall not exceed 70 This test measures the difference between inner and Pascal for front or back outer pressure of the facepiece putted on a dummy head mounted type gas masks, during passing airflow at the rate of 40 liters per minute and 50 Pascal for in the direction of inhalation. In this test, the canister(s) chin-style gas masks and or cartridge(s) ( involving inhalation valve(s) when the chemical cartridge inhalation valves are attached to the canister(s) or respirators, respectively. cartridges(s)) are removed from the facepiece. When the gas mask has a breathing tube, the pressure difference is measured with the tube bent at 180 degree.
(Test of exhalation resistance) The exhalation resistance shall not This test measures the difference between inner and exceed 80 Pascal outer pressure of the facepiece putted on a dummy head during passing airflow at the rate of 40 liters per minute in the direction of exhalation. In this test, the air passes for inspiration should be closed.
(Test of air tightness of exhalation valve at work) 1. The inner pressure must quickly decrease First, the exhalation valve with the valve seat is mounted when the inner air is on an air tightness test equipment, and then the decrease drawn. of the inner pressure of the valve is confirmed by drawing the inside air by a drawing pump at the rate of 1 liter per 2. The time required minute. Next, the inner pressure is adjusted at –1,470 for the inner pressure to Pascal against the atmospheric pressure, then the be restored up to normal evacuation of the inner space of the valve is stopped, and pressure must be longer then the time for the inner pressure to recover to the than 15 seconds. atmospheric pressure is measured. The capacity of the inner space of the exhalation valve seat shall be 50 cubic centimeters.
(Test of carbon dioxide concentration increase in The difference of inspired air) carbon dioxide concentrations in the In the atmosphere of 25 ± 5°C , the facepiece is put on inspired air at the two a dummy head with the dimensions described in the conditions with and following picture, and the connected artificial breathing without the facepiece apparatus is driven at the rate of 15 times a minute and must be lower than 2.0 ±0.1 liters per stroke (The artificial breathing 1.0%. apparatus supplies exhalation air with 5.0% carbon dioxide.). During this procedure, the carbon dioxide concentration in the inspired air is measured until the concentration reaches a constant concentration. The same procedure is performed with the dummy head without a facepiece.
Dummy Head (in mm)
2 The performance of canisters and cartridges shall conform to the requirements described in the right column of the following Table when tested by the test procedures described in the left column of the same Table.
Test procedures Requirements
(Test of air-tightness) No leakage shall be detected.
This test investigates whether leakage is found or not after sending air into the canister or cartridge until the pressure in the canister or
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cartridge until the pressure in the canister or cartridge reaches at 1470 Pascal.
(Test of inhalation resistance) The pressure difference shall not exceed the values described in the This test measures the difference between the Table below, according to the type pressures of the air flow before and after it of the gas mask to which the passes through a canister or a cartridge at the canister or cartridge is connected rate of 40 liters per minute. The canister or and with or without the function of cartridge to which an inhalation valve is attached filtration of particulates. is measured with the valve.
Front or back Chemical- Chin-style gas Category Type of gas mask mounted type gas cartridge mask mask respirator
With S1 &L1 310 - - particulate filtration S2 &L2 320 - - For function carbon S3 &L3 400 - - monoxide Without particulate 280 - - filtration function
S1 310 280 280 &L1 With For particulate S2 320 290 290 gases filtration &L2 other than function S3 carbon 400 370 370 monoxide &L3 Without particulate 250 220 220 filtering function
Remark: The value in this Table is in the unit of Pascal.
Test procedures Requirements
(Test of service life) The time required for the exit gas to reach at the concentration shown in the Service life is measured, by supplying air middle column of the Table below shall containing the gas shown in the right be longer than the time shown in the column of the Table below into the canister right column of the same Table, or the cartridge, at the flow rate of 30 liter according to the kind of canister and per minute, according to the type of the cartridge shown in the left column of canister or cartridge shown in the left the same Table. column of the same Table. However, in the case of canister of During the testing, the temperature and front or back mounted type gas mask for the relative humidity shall be, respectively, carbon monoxide which shows an initial 20 °C± 2 °C and 50% ± 5%. leakage of carbon monoxide within 5 1. The case where a gas analyzer is used; minutes from the start of the test, the concentration of the test gas which has The air flow containing the test gas at the passed through the canister shall not exit of the gas filter, which has passed exceed 100 ppm within 5 min from the through the gas filter, is led into the gas start of the test due to no reaction or no analyzer, and then the concentration of the absorption. test gas in the effluent is measured.
2. The case where gas absorption method is applied;
The air flow containing the test gas at the exit of the gas filter, which has passed through the gas filter, is led into the absorbing tube containing absorbing liquid, and then the test gas contained in the test air is absorbed, and the concentration of the test gas is measured.
Type of gas Test gas Type of gas Concentration Time
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Type of gas Type of gas filter Kind Concentration filter (ppm) (min)
Canister of Canister of front or back front or back mounted type Chlorine 0.5% mounted type gas 1 60 gas mask for mask for halogens halogens
Canister of Canister of chin-style gas chin-style gas Chlorine 0.3% 1 15 mask for mask for halogens halogens
Cartridge of Cartridge of chemical chemical cartridge Chlorine 0.02% cartridge 1 40 respirator for respirator for halogens halogens
Canister of Canister of front or back front or back Cyclo mounted type 0.5% mounted type gas 5 100 hexane gas mask for mask for organic organic vapors vapors
Canister of Canister of chin-style gas Cyclo chin-style gas 0.3% 5 30 mask for organic hexane mask for organic vapors vapors
Cartridge of Cartridge of chemical chemical Cyclo cartridge 0.03% cartridge 5 50 hexane respirator for respirator for organic vapors organic vapors
Canister of Canister of front or back front or back Carbon mounted type 1.0% mounted type gas 5 180 monoxide gas mask for mask for carbon carbon monoxide monoxide
Canister of Canister of front or back front or back mounted type Ammonia 2.0% mounted type gas 50 40 gas mask for mask for ammonia ammonia
Canister of Canister of chin-style gas chin-style gas Ammonia 1.0% 50 10 mask for mask for ammonia ammonia
Cartridge of Cartridge of chemical chemical cartridge Ammonia 0.1% cartridge 50 40 respirator for respirator for ammonia ammonia
Canister of Canister of front or back front or back Sulfur mounted type 0.5% mounted type gas 5 50 dioxide gas mask for mask for sulfur sulfur dioxide dioxide
Canister of Canister of chin-style gas Sulfur chin-style gas 0.3% 5 15 mask for sulfur dioxide mask for sulfur dioxide dioxide
Cartridge of Cartridge of chemical chemical Sulfur cartridge 0.03% cartridge 5 35 dioxide respirator for respirator for sulfur dioxide sulfur dioxide
Remark: The unit ppm in this Table
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Remark: The unit ppm in this Table shows one millionth in volume.
(Test of particulate filtering efficiency)
For the gas masks with the function of particulate filtration, the particulate filtering efficiency is measured by the measurements of the particle concentration of the test air flow before and after it passes the canister or cartridge incorporating the particulate filter, and by the succeeding calculation in use of the following equation. The particles used for the test of particulate filtering efficiency is either of the following two kinds chosen depending on the kind of the particulate filter. The particle size distribution of the test particles is represented by the count median diameter.
Particulate filtering efficiency (%) = Concentration before passing - Concentration after passing (mg/cubic meter) (mg/cubic meter) X 10 0 Concentration before passing (mg/cubic meter)
1. The case where the test particle is sodium 1. The case where the test chloride; particle is sodium chloride;
The concentrations of sodium chloride in the test The particulate filtering flow before and after passing through the gas filter efficiency of the canister or the are continuously measured with a sodium chloride cartridge through the test concentration measuring instrument with the light duration shall exceed the value scattering method. The count median diameter of described each in the right the particle size of sodium chloride shall be from column of the Table below, 0.06 micrometer to 0.10 micrometer and the according to the type of the geometrical standard deviation of the particle size canister or the cartridge distribution shall be less than 1.8. The air flow described in the left column of containing sodium chloride at the concentration the same Table. lower than 50 mg per cubic meter with the variation range less than 15% is made pass through the Type Particulate filtering canister or the cartridge at the flow rate of 85 liters efficiency (%) per minute until the cumulative sodium chloride supplied to the filter reaches at 100mg. The S1 80.0 particulate filtering efficiency is calculated for the maximum concentration of sodium chloride in the S2 95.0 air flow downward the canister or the cartridge during the test. S3 99.9
2. The case where the test particle is 2. The case where the test particle is dioctyl phthalate; dioctyl phthalate;
The concentrations of dioctyl phthalate The particulate filtering efficiency in the test flow before and after passing during the test duration shall be through the canister or the cartridge are exceeding the value described each in the continuously measured with a dioctyl right column of the Table below, phthalate concentration measuring according to the type of the gas filter instrument with the light scattering described in the left column of the same method. The count median diameter of the Table. particle size of dioctyl phthalate shall be from 0.15 micrometer to 0.25 micrometer and the geometrical standard deviation of the particle size distribution shall be less than 1.6. The air flow containing dioctyl phthalate at the concentration lower than Type Particulate filtering 100 mg per cubic meter with the variation efficiency (%) range less than 15% is made pass through the canister or the cartridge at the flow rate of 85 liters per minute until the L1 80.0 cumulative dioctyl phthalate supplied to the filter reaches at 200mg. The particulate filtering efficiency is calculated L2 95.0 for the maximum concentration of dioctyl phthalate after passing the canister or the L3 99.9 cartridge during the test.
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cartridge during the test.
(Labeling and others)
Article 8
Gas mask (except canister and cartridge) must be attached with a printed matter describing the items shown below.
1. Name of manufacturer
2. Name of Type
3. Remarks in application
4. For the Type in which canister(s) or cartridge(s) can be replaceable, the kind of the canister or the cartridge, its Type name and the Certificate number of the canister or the cartridge which can be attached to the gas mask.
2 Canister and cartridge (For those which incorporate particulate filters separable from the gas filters, both gas filter and particulate filter in separation) shall be labeled at easily observable place on the surface, describing the manufacturer's name and the manufactured year and month.
3 Canister and cartridge must be attached with a printed matter describing the items shown below. 1. Name of Type
2. Scope of application
3. Remarks in application
4. Chart of breakthrough time curve
5. Record card for service time
6. Increased value of inhalation resistance ( only for gas mask having particulate filtering function) 7. Procedure for the wearer easily to check the air tightness between face and facepiece
4 The increased value of inhalation resistance specified in Item 6 of Part 3 of this Article shall be measured as the value of difference between inner and outer pressure of the test air flow at 40 liters per minute when 100 mg of cumulative sodium chloride is supplied to the gas filter for the particulate filtering efficiency test.
5 The outer side face of a gas filter shall be colored as described in the right column of the Table below, according to the type of the gas filter.
Type Color
Grey and Black Gas filter for halogens (to be shown by two layers)
Gas filter for organic vapors Black
Gas filter for carbon monoxide Red
Gas filter for ammonia Green
Gas filter for sulfur dioxide Orange
Remark: For gas mask having particulate filtering function, a white line on the side face of the canister or cartridge shall show the location of the filter incorporated within the canister or cartridge.
(Exceptions of this Standard)
Article 9
The provisions issued by this official announcement are not applied for those gas masks for which material, structure or performance is special, or which is used at special conditions, and to which application of the provisions shown in Article 1 through Article 7 is not appropriate only when the Director General of Labour Standards Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare accepts that the gas mask has equivalent to or better effectiveness than the gas masks conforming to this standard.
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