On October 23, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the winners of the third and final phase of its Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge.

NIOSH issued the challenge, seeking practical solutions that provide real-time results on filtering facepiece respirator fit. In Phase 1 of the challenge, entrants submitted concept papers outlining their innovative solutions, and then in Phase 2, they developed and demonstrated prototypes. In the third and final phase of the challenge, entrants delivered functional prototypes for NIOSH’s evaluation.

NIOSH selected three winners from the Phase 3 submissions. The Phase 3 winners, listed below, were awarded a total of $150,000, with 1st place receiving $75,000; 2nd place receiving $50,000; and 3rd place receiving $25,000.

• 1st Place: MOBOMO submitted a “Fit and Breathe” app, which can detect gaps along the face seal of a respirator using an infrared camera.
• 2nd Place: OpenAeros offered a low-cost, open-source, quantitative fit tester that pairs a nondestructive sampling probe with an open-source condensation particle counter to calculate a fit measurement.
• 3rd Place: Consequent Labs submitted a continuous pressure/temperature sensor that uses machine learning to notify the user of a respirator’s fit condition while being worn.

“We are thrilled by how each of these innovators rose to our challenge to identify practical solutions that deliver real-time monitoring of respirator fit,” Maryann D’Alessandro, PhD, director of NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, said in an institute statement. “For those who rely on respiratory protection to safeguard their health, this knowledge that a respirator fits and is providing the expected level of protection is crucial.”

NIOSH launches firefighter safety, health center

NIOSH also recently announced the launch of a Center for Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-being. The new center builds on decades of NIOSH work with firefighting organizations to understand and protect firefighters from the unique work-related hazards they face.

The center provides a central point for the institute’s firefighting partners to engage with NIOSH regarding a range of firefighter-related research and services, including NIOSH’s fatality investigations and the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. The institute established the center to facilitate faster responses to new and emerging hazards, and it will help determine where NIOSH should focus its resources.

“Firefighters are vital to the safety of our communities, risking their health and safety to protect our own,” Director John Howard, MD, said in a NIOSH statement. “The Center for Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-being allows NIOSH to bring together our research and knowledge in a way to better protect firefighters from both immediate and long-term risks from their jobs.”

NIOSH conducts firefighter fatality investigations and health hazard evaluations (HHEs) and manages the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. The institute also evaluates personal protective equipment (PPE) and studies the unique working conditions and hazards of wildland firefighting.

NIOSH also administers the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, a federal health program that provides no-cost medical monitoring and treatment for those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The WTC Health Program and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Museum recently announced the opening of a “Health Effects of 9/11” exhibit at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville. The exhibition allows visitors to learn about 9/11’s ongoing health consequences.

Currently, there are 149 Shanksville responders enrolled in the WTC Health Program. However, research suggests more than 1,000 people may have responded to the Shanksville crash site.