3M 8293 P100 Disposable Respirator with Face Seal and Cool Flow Valve

An air-purifying respirator filters air; it does not supply any. Under 29 CFR 1910.134 no filtering facepiece may be used in an atmosphere that is IDLH or oxygen-deficient (below 19.5% oxygen). Those conditions require a supplied-air respirator or an SCBA, and no particulate rating changes that.

Short answer: the 3M 8293 P100 is a NIOSH-approved P100 filtering facepiece - 99.97% efficiency against 0.3 micron particles, oil proof. Buy it when the exposure is particulate and the fit can be verified; skip it when gases or vapours are in play, because a particulate filter does nothing about them.

Who the 3M 8293 P100 suits

Shoppers reach this listing under several descriptions - as a p100 respirator, as a niosh p100 approval, as a disposable p100, or as a p100 filtering facepiece - and they all mean the same certified device. It suits particulate exposures where the wearer can be fit tested and kept clean-shaven at the seal, and it does not suit gases, vapours, or any job needing more than a factor of ten.

Reading the P100 rating

Under 42 CFR 84 the letter and the number answer different questions. The letter is oil resistance: N not resistant, R resistant for a single shift, P oil proof. The number is filter efficiency against the most-penetrating 0.3 micron particle size: 95, 99, or 100 meaning 99.97%. This model is P100, so oil proof at 99.97% efficiency.

What the exhalation valve does and does not do. It lowers breathing resistance and heat build-up on exhale, which matters over a long shift. It does not increase the protection you receive, and it provides no source control - a valved respirator vents the wearer's unfiltered breath, so it is the wrong choice where the point is to protect other people or a sterile field.

Why a higher filter rating does not mean more protection

Two numbers get conflated. Filter efficiency describes the media; the assigned protection factor describes the whole device on a face. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 Table 1 gives every filtering facepiece an APF of 10 whatever its efficiency, because the limiting path is the gap at the seal, not the fabric. Maximum use concentration is therefore ten times the exposure limit for all of them.

Buy it if / skip it if

Buy it if the hazard is particulate, the wearer is clean-shaven at the sealing surface, and a fit test under 1910.134(f) has been done or can be. Skip it if the atmosphere contains gases or vapours, if the wearer has facial hair crossing the seal, or if the job needs a protection factor above 10. Compare the alternatives across disposable respirators, n95 respirators, respiratory protection.

Methodology: how this listing was built

Class, efficiency and oil resistance are read from the manufacturer's designation and the 42 CFR 84 scheme rather than from marketing copy, and the protection factor is taken from the OSHA table rather than inferred from the filter rating. No laboratory testing is performed for this page.

Fit testing is what makes the protection factor real

APF 10 assumes the facepiece seals. 1910.134(f) requires a fit test before first use and annually after, on the exact make, model and size to be worn. Separately Appendix B-1 requires a user seal check at every donning. The fit test is annual and formal; the seal check takes seconds and happens every time.

When to discard it

Finished when breathing resistance rises noticeably, when the facepiece is soiled, damaged or deformed, when straps lose tension, or when a seal check can no longer be passed. Filter loading is only one of those and rarely the first - straps and nose foam usually go first. Do not wash it and do not stretch tired straps.

Where this sits in the range

Disposable filtering facepieces are the entry point of respiratory protection, and the step up is not a better disposable but a different class of device. Compare the full disposable range across disposable respirators, n95 respirators, respiratory protection, and where the exposure needs a protection factor above 10 or involves gases, move to full face respirators, flat fold respirators, gerson disposable respirators. Where a chemical is present alongside the particulate, the cartridge families to look at are combination cartridges.

Written by Steven Eaton, WC Safety editor. WC Safety is an independent review site and holds no inventory; Amazon links are affiliate links that earn a commission at no cost to you and do not affect the assessment.

The valve is a comfort feature, not a protection feature

An exhalation valve vents warm, humid breath straight out instead of pushing it back through the filter media. Over a full shift that is a real difference to heat build-up and to fogging if safety glasses are worn, and it is the main reason people tolerate a respirator for hours rather than minutes. What it does not do is raise the protection factor by even a fraction - and because the valve vents unfiltered, it offers no source control at all. In any setting where the point is to protect other people, or a clean process, the valved version is the wrong one.

Class selection is covered in more depth across p95 vs r95 vs p100, best disposable respirator for painting, best n95 for wildfire smoke, 3m 8210 vs moldex 2200n95, 3m 2091 vs 2097, international respirator standards.

Related

• Disposable Respirators
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Read our detailed 3M 8293 P100 Disposable Respirator with Face Seal and Cool Flow Valve review — strengths, limitations, and the alternatives that matter.