Foreword
In the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-596), Congress sought "to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources." The Act requires that the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) "shall develop criteria . . . which will describe exposure levels . . . at which no worker will suffer impaired health or functional capacities or diminished life expectancy as a result of his [or her] work experience."
Aerosolized droplet nuclei containing tubercle bacilli are a hazard to workers in health-care-facilities, which serve persons with infectious tuberculosis. Any TB infection due to occupational transmission to workers in health-care facilities is unacceptable. Available data are insufficient to fully assess the efficacy and reliability of various procedures currently recommended for health-care facilities to prevent the spread of tuberculosis to health-care-facility workers, patients, and visitors. Recognizing this insufficiency, NIOSH, through these recommended guidelines presents its best judgment regarding effective and reliable personal respiratory protection against aerosolized droplet nuclei when this protection is indicated for health-care-facility workers.
NIOSH is the Federal agency which tests and certifies respirators worn by almost 7 million American workers. It has acquired over two decades of experience in research and evaluation activities related to respirators used in American workplaces. Its conclusions and recommendations are based on broad practical experience in many occupational settings, and on the scientific and technical logic and its mandates as presented in this document.
J. Donald Millar, M.D., D.T.P.H. (Lond.)
Assistant Surgeon General
Director, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
Centers for Disease Control
