Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Local authorities may evacuate specific areas at greatest risk in your community. Close and lock all windows and outside doors. Turn off all heating and air conditioning systems and fans.

Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Know if your workplace isin a location at risk of volcanic eruption.
2. Be familiar with your company’s emergency plan.
3. Know your local evacuation routes and evacuation sites.
4. Keep a small bag of personal supplies (including walking shoes) that can be grabbed quickly and easily.

The surgical mask A surgical mask alone is not enough to stop you from breathing in ashfall. This mask was designed to protect the user from liquids and solids—not gas or small particles. It does nothing when faced with ashfall.

When outside, protect yourself from the fine, glassy particles of volcanic ash.

1. Cover your mouth and nose.
2. Wear goggles to protect your eyes.
3. Wear eyeglasses instead of contact lenses.
4. Keep skin covered to avoid irritation from contact with ash.

The P1 masks are recommended for workplaces with low levels of dust, like places where hand sanding, cutting, and drilling is done. These masks are able to protect the users from liquid and solid aerosols. The OEL and APF of P1 masks are 4x which means that they can protect against dust in 4x limit concentration.

N95 and the P2 respirators are essentially the same type of half-face particulate respirators, which serve the same purpose. The mask must be fitted and adjusted correctly to your face to provide the intended protection. In the USA, the term N95 is used. These respirators are classified by NIOSH .

Extended use The CDC reports that prolonged N95 mask use (including between patients) can be safe for up to 8 hours, and encourages each user to review each manufacturer’s recommendations prior to following this strategy.

Protect yourself from contaminant, viruses, bacteria with this reusable N95 silicon mask. Aeras N95 reusable mask is a FDA registered product that has filters which are capable of filtering at least 95% of airborne particles.

Costco N95 masks are approved for medical use! N95 face masks reduce both inhaled and exhaled air leakage compared to cloth face coverings. FLTR N95 respirators are proven to offer ≥95% filtration of airborne particulates to 0.3 microns. At the time of this post, this product is available at costco.com (online only).

The 3M Health Care Particulate Respirator and Surgical Mask models 1804/1804S, 1860/1860S, 1870, 1870+ have an established 5 year shelf life when respirators are stored in their original packaging within climatic conditions ranging from -4 °F (-20 °C) to +86 °F (+30 °C) and not exceeding 80% RH.

N95 masks can be rotated every 3–4 days, heated for 60 min, steamed or boiled for 5 min, and then air-dried. These methods retain 92.4–98.5% filtering efficiency (FE). Using soap and water or medical grade alcohol significantly decreases the FE of the masks (54% and 67%, respectively) (1).

Expired masks can still provide protection If properly stored, masks should still be safe to use, according to Balmes. “If the masks are stored in a dark, dry place, they should be OK to use. The filter material is inert,” he said. “At this critical time, N95 masks should definitely be used past the expiration date.”

Expired or previously used and sterilized N95 respirators can be used when new N95 respirators are unavailable during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, according to the results of a quality improvement study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.