NIOSH Respiratory Protective Device Information

NIOSH CA 2023-1059
May 16, 2023

SUMMARY

Between May and November 2020, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued limited, temporary Public Health Emergency (PHE) approvals for N95^® filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) to address respirator supply shortages during that time. In July 2021, NIOSH published NIOSH CA 2021-1036 to remind PHE approval holders that these approvals are limited and temporary and will be revoked when the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends. In June 2022, NIOSH published NIOSH CA 2022-1044 and NIOSH CA 2022-1045, which obsoleted the remaining PHE approvals and advised users to phase-out the use of these respirators.  HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra issued a Statement on the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11, 2023. May 11, 2023, marked the end of the U.S. federal COVID-19 PHE declaration.

Effectively immediately, NIOSH revokes eight PHE FFR approvals and four PHE PAPR approvals issued to the PHE approval holders listed in the table, below. These respirators are NO LONGER recognized as NIOSH Approved^® respirators and therefore cannot be used in workplace settings that require the use of NIOSH Approved respirators. Respirators bearing the NIOSH approval numbers listed below are no longer considered approved and may not be used to fulfill any standard or statute requiring the use of a NIOSH Approved respirator.

Prior to May 11, 2023, 14 other PHE approvals were previously rescinded by the approval holder or revoked by NIOSH, as described in the table, below.   Revoked or rescinded respirators are NOT recognized as NIOSH-approved and cannot be used in workplace settings where the use of NIOSH-approved respirators is required.

Note:  PHE-approved FFRs and PAPRs are easily recognized by the approval number assigned (TC-84A-PHXX or TC-21C-PHXX) and the NIOSH approval label, which includes the caution and limitation PH: The limited FFR approval will be effective until the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of personal respiratory protective devices during the COVID-19 outbreak is terminated under Section 564(b)(2) of the Act, or the EUA is revoked under Section 564(g) of the Act, or until such time that the approved configuration can no longer be maintained. 

The NIOSH certified equipment list identifies all active NIOSH Approved respirators.

Effective Immediately-Revocation of NIOSH Public Health Emergency (PHE) Approvals issued during the COVID-19 Response. Supersedes NIOSH CA 2022-1044
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