Gerard Hughes
@ghhughes.bsky.social
Kanro grant recipient for respiratory protection testing and advocacy. Science aficionado. Cat fan. Clean air and NPI proponent.
@ghhughes at the old place
https://www.youtube.com/@gerardhughes
@ghhughes at the old place
https://www.youtube.com/@gerardhughes
Oh, that sad looking kitty face... 😿
November 8, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Oh, that sad looking kitty face... 😿
I've got an AirFanta Wear on order and look forward to seeing what it can do, and I'll be interested in seeing different peoples' experiences.
November 8, 2025 at 4:47 AM
I've got an AirFanta Wear on order and look forward to seeing what it can do, and I'll be interested in seeing different peoples' experiences.
Evaluating wearable air purifiers is tricky. Current technology prevents them from being as protective as a respirator sealed to your face, but there are use cases for them, and knowing how protective they are under what circumstances is key to deciding whether you have a use case for one.
November 8, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Evaluating wearable air purifiers is tricky. Current technology prevents them from being as protective as a respirator sealed to your face, but there are use cases for them, and knowing how protective they are under what circumstances is key to deciding whether you have a use case for one.
@nukit.bsky.social has a custom testing rig to quantify the protection levels it offers so that people can make informed choices about when and where to use it.
November 8, 2025 at 4:47 AM
@nukit.bsky.social has a custom testing rig to quantify the protection levels it offers so that people can make informed choices about when and where to use it.
Such a fabulous cat.
November 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Such a fabulous cat.
That is unfortunate. In the US, courts have gone the other way (for now), declaring that incorporating standards into law means they can be copied for the kinds of use you describe. That just seems like a no brainer of how it should work.
November 3, 2025 at 11:09 PM
That is unfortunate. In the US, courts have gone the other way (for now), declaring that incorporating standards into law means they can be copied for the kinds of use you describe. That just seems like a no brainer of how it should work.
It's hard to talk about the value of a standard if you can't read it and quote it. Or to follow it... :-/
November 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM
It's hard to talk about the value of a standard if you can't read it and quote it. Or to follow it... :-/
I liked the draft review they posted earlier for public comment, but I wish the CSA would stop hiding public safety standards behind a paywall.
Canadians can sign up for view-only access. But a PDF of the current, older CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18 (R2023) costs $190.
Canadians can sign up for view-only access. But a PDF of the current, older CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18 (R2023) costs $190.
November 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I liked the draft review they posted earlier for public comment, but I wish the CSA would stop hiding public safety standards behind a paywall.
Canadians can sign up for view-only access. But a PDF of the current, older CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18 (R2023) costs $190.
Canadians can sign up for view-only access. But a PDF of the current, older CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18 (R2023) costs $190.
ASMR typing videos? 🤔
November 2, 2025 at 6:32 PM
ASMR typing videos? 🤔
Seems like a rather common human trait.
Also reminds me of ADHD and executive function challenges.
Also reminds me of ADHD and executive function challenges.
November 2, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Seems like a rather common human trait.
Also reminds me of ADHD and executive function challenges.
Also reminds me of ADHD and executive function challenges.
It's Dunning-Kruger at scale... 🙁
October 28, 2025 at 8:45 PM
It's Dunning-Kruger at scale... 🙁
So Google AI wasn't just sort of wrong, it was literally categorically wrong.
Don't trust AI "Insights". AI specializes in giving confident sounding answers, but doesn't actually know anything. It will lie right to your face without blinking.
Don't trust AI "Insights". AI specializes in giving confident sounding answers, but doesn't actually know anything. It will lie right to your face without blinking.
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
So Google AI wasn't just sort of wrong, it was literally categorically wrong.
Don't trust AI "Insights". AI specializes in giving confident sounding answers, but doesn't actually know anything. It will lie right to your face without blinking.
Don't trust AI "Insights". AI specializes in giving confident sounding answers, but doesn't actually know anything. It will lie right to your face without blinking.
There is a specific designation in the EU for loose fitting PAPR particulate filters: TH1P, TH2P and TH3P filters.
www.draeger.com/Content/Docu...
www.draeger.com/Content/Docu...
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
There is a specific designation in the EU for loose fitting PAPR particulate filters: TH1P, TH2P and TH3P filters.
www.draeger.com/Content/Docu...
www.draeger.com/Content/Docu...
Meanwhile, the Powercap filters turn out to actually be TH1P filters with 90% minimum particulate filtration. Which I found out once I located the manufacturer's spec sheet via regular Google search results.
www.sitebox.ltd.uk/docs/TH1P/CA...
www.sitebox.ltd.uk/docs/TH1P/CA...
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Meanwhile, the Powercap filters turn out to actually be TH1P filters with 90% minimum particulate filtration. Which I found out once I located the manufacturer's spec sheet via regular Google search results.
www.sitebox.ltd.uk/docs/TH1P/CA...
www.sitebox.ltd.uk/docs/TH1P/CA...
The AI also claimed the Powercap filters are P100 equivalent, somehow. Yes, it told me that 94% filtration FFP2 and P100 99.97% filters are the same thing.
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The AI also claimed the Powercap filters are P100 equivalent, somehow. Yes, it told me that 94% filtration FFP2 and P100 99.97% filters are the same thing.
That is a hallucination by Google AI.
The PAPR filters can't be FFP2 filters because FFP is the EU designation specifically for "Filtering Face Piece" masks, not PAPR filters.
The PAPR filters can't be FFP2 filters because FFP is the EU designation specifically for "Filtering Face Piece" masks, not PAPR filters.
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
That is a hallucination by Google AI.
The PAPR filters can't be FFP2 filters because FFP is the EU designation specifically for "Filtering Face Piece" masks, not PAPR filters.
The PAPR filters can't be FFP2 filters because FFP is the EU designation specifically for "Filtering Face Piece" masks, not PAPR filters.
There is nothing wrong with people making an informed choice to use the moderate respiratory protection of the Peke Powercap.
However, Peke Safety make it difficult for people to make an informed selection of PAPR by hiding the actual meaning and performance of the TH1 class of respirators.
However, Peke Safety make it difficult for people to make an informed selection of PAPR by hiding the actual meaning and performance of the TH1 class of respirators.
October 28, 2025 at 6:38 AM
There is nothing wrong with people making an informed choice to use the moderate respiratory protection of the Peke Powercap.
However, Peke Safety make it difficult for people to make an informed selection of PAPR by hiding the actual meaning and performance of the TH1 class of respirators.
However, Peke Safety make it difficult for people to make an informed selection of PAPR by hiding the actual meaning and performance of the TH1 class of respirators.
The Powercap is not NIOSH approved, nor is it NIOSH approvable based on its low performance, and cannot not be used for OSHA compliant workplace use.
Many woodworkers and others using the Peke powercap likely have no idea they are not getting NIOSH PAPR levels of protection.
Many woodworkers and others using the Peke powercap likely have no idea they are not getting NIOSH PAPR levels of protection.
October 28, 2025 at 6:38 AM
The Powercap is not NIOSH approved, nor is it NIOSH approvable based on its low performance, and cannot not be used for OSHA compliant workplace use.
Many woodworkers and others using the Peke powercap likely have no idea they are not getting NIOSH PAPR levels of protection.
Many woodworkers and others using the Peke powercap likely have no idea they are not getting NIOSH PAPR levels of protection.
The Amazon listing claiming MERV 13 means 95% filtration of .3 to 1 micron is wrong. I can understand why someone would think the filter media would be appropriate for masks since the listing inaccurately claims 95% filtration.
October 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The Amazon listing claiming MERV 13 means 95% filtration of .3 to 1 micron is wrong. I can understand why someone would think the filter media would be appropriate for masks since the listing inaccurately claims 95% filtration.
Addendum:
The EPA site shows the MERV 13 standards as even lower than the graphic I posted:
"0.30-1.0 greater than or equal to 50%
1.0-3.0 greater than or equal to 85%
3.0-10.0 greater than or equal to 90%"
www.epa.gov/indoor-air-q...
The EPA site shows the MERV 13 standards as even lower than the graphic I posted:
"0.30-1.0 greater than or equal to 50%
1.0-3.0 greater than or equal to 85%
3.0-10.0 greater than or equal to 90%"
www.epa.gov/indoor-air-q...
What is a MERV rating? | US EPA
Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values, or MERVs, report a filter's ability to capture larger particles between 0.3 and 10 microns (µm). This value is helpful in comparing the performance of different f...
www.epa.gov
October 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Addendum:
The EPA site shows the MERV 13 standards as even lower than the graphic I posted:
"0.30-1.0 greater than or equal to 50%
1.0-3.0 greater than or equal to 85%
3.0-10.0 greater than or equal to 90%"
www.epa.gov/indoor-air-q...
The EPA site shows the MERV 13 standards as even lower than the graphic I posted:
"0.30-1.0 greater than or equal to 50%
1.0-3.0 greater than or equal to 85%
3.0-10.0 greater than or equal to 90%"
www.epa.gov/indoor-air-q...
I tried one of the ubiquitous "PM 2.5" cloth masks with inserts that were popular, and it was better than nothing, but not a good mask othewise.
www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/...
www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/...
From the Masks4All community on Reddit: Did those cheap cloth masks with "PM 2.5" filter inserts really work? They are still for sale. So I bought some and tested them with a mask fit testing machine ...
Explore this post and more from the Masks4All community
www.reddit.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I tried one of the ubiquitous "PM 2.5" cloth masks with inserts that were popular, and it was better than nothing, but not a good mask othewise.
www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/...
www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/...