Download MEDICAL CLEARANCE and RESPIRATOR FIT TESTING

MEDICAL CLEARANCE and RESPIRATOR FIT TESTING
While not all pesticides require use of a respirator, some do. If respirator use is required, it will be
specified on the pesticide label under Personal Protective Equipment. Currently, only one class of
pesticides, soil fumigants (ex. chloropicrin, metam sodium, metam potassium), requires that individuals
complete a medical clearance prior to using a respirator and have respirator fit tested annually. This
requirement became effective 12.31.2010 with EPA’s re-registration of soil fumigants. (See
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/soil_fumigants/factsheets/sfm-wrkr-prot-meas-2012.pdf
for more information).
While EPA does not have its own protocols for conducting medical clearance and respirator fit testing,
standards have been established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). While
OSHA standards routinely apply to companies having ten or more full-time employees and requiring
respirator use, they have been adopted to apply to all farms required to use respirators when applying
soil fumigants.
A copy of the medical clearance standard, questionnaire and respirator fit testing protocol can be found
at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/respiratory/index.html (click on ‘medical requirements’ and ‘fit
testing’ in the blue box on the left side of the page. Copies of these documents are also included in this
folder.
1157 VOA Site C Road
Greenville, NC 27834
252.744.1008
www.ncagromedicine.org
11.13/RTM