National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory | NPPTL | NIOSH | CDC

The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)

Updated December 9, 2020

Various respirators and protective gear

For more information on COVID-19 and PPE, please visit:

Collection of Personal Protective Equipment

Optimizing the Supply of Respirators and Other PPE

Warehouse with stockpile of N95 respirators

Stockpiled N95 Respirators

Release of Stockpiled N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators Beyond the Manufacturer-Designated Shelf Life

Person's hand using checklist

Request a Respirator Assessment

NPPTL Respirator Assessments to Support the COVID-19 Response

Personal Protective Equipment for Novel Coronavirus

Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Protective Equipment

Warehouse with respirators

Respirator Evaluations

Performance Reports of Stockpiled Respirators

example of Air-Purifying Particulate Respirator

Powered Air-Purifying Respirator Standard

Interim Final Rule on Approval Tests and Standards for Air-Purifying Particulate Respirators

Trending Resources

Additional information on pertinent PPE topics: NIOSH Science Blogs, Infographics, Instructional and Fact Sheets, Videos, and Other Resources

100 Years of Respiratory Protection

NPPTL 100 Years of Respiratory Protection

This video was produced in 2019 to recognize the 100^th anniversary of the first respirator approval by the Bureau of Mines. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is now the federal body responsible for the testing and approval of respirators for occupational use. The purpose of this video is to demonstrate the evolution and importance of respiratory protection from the point of view of NIOSH workers within the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), who are deeply invested in the work that they do.

Respirator Information

Worker wearing a flex MSA-Adv200LS respirator

User notices, filtering facepiece respirators, information for workers…

For Manufacturers

Sam Rengasamy Decontamination testing

Approval support, test procedures, certified equipment, standards…

Approved Filtering Facepiece Respirators

Woman wearing N95 respirator

Provides listing of particulate filtering facepiece respirators.

Trusted Information

Understand types of respirators, identify approved models…

Respiratory Resources for Healthcare Professionals

Resources for Fire Service Personnel

News

Read the new technical report, Filtering Facepiece Respirators with an Exhalation Valve: Measurements of Filtration Efficiency to Evaluate Their Potential for Source Control.
View archived recording of Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirator (EHMR) Federal Register Notice (FRN) Webinarexternal icon (November 18, 2020)
PPE CASE 2020-0113 – Filtration Efficiency Performance of Non-NIOSH-Approved International Respiratory Protective Devices: Phase Two
View recording of Factors to Consider when Planning to Purchase Respirators from Another Country, Including KN95 Respirators from China webinar.
FDA Emergency Use Authorizations
FDA EAUs can be found at https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization#2019-ncovexternal icon

NIOSH-Approved Disposable Filtering Facepiece Respirators for Use in Health Care Settings During Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Imported, Non-NIOSH-Approved Disposable Filtering Facepiece Respirators
CA-2018-1010R1.0 – Interim guidance regarding applications for NIOSH Approval of Filtering Facepiece Respirators in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Final Order published May 17, 2018, and FDA/NIOSH MOU 225-18-006, dated November 2017 (included as a reference in this notice). Revision Supersedes the November 2018 version
CA-2020-1030 – Requirements and Responsibilities of Approval Holders and Assignees in NIOSH Approved Respirator Private Labeling and Private Packaging Arrangements

Key Resources

Quick Links

Personal Protective Technology

Personal Protective Topics

Protective Clothing and Ensembles

NIOSH Protective Technology Program

Connect with NPPTL

Page last reviewed: December 9, 2020

Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health