Dry throat

[Aggrajag]

I've a feeling I know the answer to this but as it's my health I'm going to ask anyway...

I've recently upgraded from a Facemask Pro which was giving me lots of goggle condensation problems so I realised it wasn't actually working very well (air going the wrong way) and this is probably because I have a beard.

I got the 3M 6200 half-face mask with 6035 particulate filters and it seems to work a treat - the inhale and exhale tests prove it's a very good, if not quite 100% air-tight, fit.

However after using it for an hour my throat is very dry - I'm hoping that this is because it's filtering out moisture, but I'm slightly worried that it's not working and I'm getting in dust. I've searched online and don't see anyone mention this.

Am I OK, is it just dry air making my throat dry?

 

[AndyT]

Presumably you got the dry throat after wearing the mask and doing some dusty work.
You could try just wearing the mask while not creating dust and see what happens. If you get a dry throat again, it's probably the mask causing it, not the dust.

No idea if this is relevant to your case, but there was a thread recently about mould spores inside a dust mask where the filters were not changed enough, so that's another thing to check.

 

[Steve Maskery]

No idea if this is relevant to your case, but there was a thread recently about mould spores inside a dust mask where the filters were not changed enough, so that's another thing to check.

Ah. That probably explains something I've wondered about for a long time.

Years ago I bought some cartridge filters for a gas-mask-style mask. When they arrived there was a use-by date on them, and they were out of date. I wondered what could be in them to make them go off. Perhaps it wasn't deterioration in that respect, just the risk of airborne contamination.

 

[Aggrajag]

You could try just wearing the mask while not creating dust and see what happens. If you get a dry throat again, it's probably the mask causing it, not the dust.

That's very logical Andy, I'll have to give it a try. Thanks.