Respirators for Organic Vapors and Solvents

The exposure limits

What the federal rule says

Each entry is condensed from the paragraph cited; the paragraph itself is the rule and the link opens it.

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(iii)(B): For protection against gases and vapors, the employer shall provide an atmosphere-supplying respirator, or an air-purifying respirator, provided that the respirator is equipped with an end-of-service-life indicator (ESLI) certified by NIOSH for the contaminant; or if there is no ESLI appropriate for conditions in the employer's workplace, the employer implements a change schedule for canisters and cartridges that is based on objective information or data that will ensure that canisters and cartridges are changed before the end of their service life.

29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1)(iii): The employer shall identify and evaluate the respiratory hazard(s) in the workplace; this evaluation shall include a reasonable estimate of employee exposures to respiratory hazard(s) and an identification of the contaminant's chemical state and physical form.

Source: 29 CFR, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, as published by OSHA (ecfr.gov / osha.gov), read Nov 2–3 2026.

California (Cal/OSHA)

Each entry is condensed from the paragraph cited; the paragraph itself is the rule and the link opens it.

Title 8 §5144(d)(3)(C): The same ESLI-or-change-schedule rule applies under Cal/OSHA.

Source: California Code of Regulations, Title 8, as published by Cal/OSHA (dir.ca.gov), read Nov 2–3 2026.

What the makers' data lists for organic vapors

Both makers list organic vapor as a cartridge protection: North OV (black label) and OV combinations; Dräger bayonet OV 6738024, OV/P100 6738034, the Multi-Gas+ filters and the X-plore 8000 OV 6739575 and OV/HE 6739560. Dräger's selection guide lists each solvent by CAS number; the counts per filter are on the filter pages.

North cartridges and filters whose chart entry covers it

Source: North Cartridge & Filter Reference Chart; NIOSH approval labels (PIP).

North facepieces

Source: North product sheets (PIP).

Dräger filters listed for it

Source: Dräger Guide for Selection and Use of Respiratory Filtering Devices, NIOSH (DMC-104642); Dräger X-plore Bayonet Filters NIOSH product information (DMC-109824); Dräger X-plore 8000 product information (DMC-102510).

Dräger masks

Source: Dräger Product Catalog, Industrial Applications (DMC-107423).

Dräger X-plore 8000 PAPR blowers

Source: Dräger X-plore 8000 product information (DMC-102510).

Dräger selection guide entries

10 entries in the Dräger respiratory selection guide match organic vapors; each names the filters by part number.

Source: Dräger Respiratory Protection Selection Guide (PIP document library).

Assigned protection factor

Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 Table 1 (Assigned Protection Factors). The APF applies only when the respirator is used in a program that meets the standard, including fit testing of tight-fitting facepieces (29 CFR 1910.134(f)) and a cartridge change schedule (29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(iii)).

Guides: half mask vs full facepiece · assigned protection factors · cartridge change schedules · P100 vs N95 vs R95 · what OSHA requires for fit testing · cleaning and storing respirators.

Respirators for Organic Vapors and Solvents questions

How long does an organic vapor cartridge last? 29 CFR 1910.134(d)(3)(iii)(B) requires either a NIOSH-certified ESLI or a change schedule based on objective data; the North support articles state service life depends on concentration, breathing rate, humidity and temperature and point to the manufacturer's cartridge-life estimator.

What color is the organic vapor cartridge? Black on the North chart; the OV/P100 combination is black and magenta.