Respirator Fit Testing – Where do you go to get a fit-test?

If you use a pesticide that requires the use of a respirator, the Worker Protection Standard requires that before you use the respirator you must first receive: 

• A medical evaluation by a physician or other licensed health care professional to determine if you are physically fit to wear a respirator
• Fit-testing with a taste/smell/irritating indicator or with quantitative measurements to determine if the respirator forms a complete seal with your face
• Training about the use, care, and maintenance of the respirator.

Where do applicators go to get the fit-testing done? Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) keeps an updated list of locations around the state that provide medical evaluations and respirator fit-testing, which can be found here.

To check if a pesticide requires the use of a respirator, look under the precautionary statement section of the label under the personal protective equipment requirements. Three handy resources for looking up pesticide labels are www.cdms.net, https://www.greenbook.net/, and https://agrian.com/labelcenter/results.cfm.

Additional resources:

• I-CASH Website
• WPS Respiratory Protection Guide
• ICM Blog “Using a Pesticide that Requires a Respirator?”
• Respirator training information