Ensuring respiratory protection to improve population health, economic vitality, and national security

Abstract

Respiratory protection decreases the risk of inhalation-related illnesses, but only if such protection is available, with a robust framework in place to support it. There are many current and potential inhalational hazards, and without adequate respiratory protection, these threaten not only health, but also economic prosperity and national security. The United States needs to build off existing expertise to implement a framework for respiratory protection of the entire populace. A recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Report laid out detailed recommendations for such a framework, and there are steps that can be taken now. Starting such a framework in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible requires preserving the existing expertise, experience, and infrastructure in NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and the National Personal Protective Technologies Laboratory.