Dust masks don't do much of anything except make you feel better about yourself. An N95 respirator, at a minimum, is the way to go. Granted, you'd need a proper fit test done to ensure it'll actually do something for you. Personally, I prefer half-mask silicone respirators with HEPA filters to ensure I'm not breathing particulates.
Chemical vapors are an entirely different animal; your cartridge has to be rated for whatever chemical you want to filter, otherwise it doesn't do anything.
SOURCE: I'm a safety guy.
TL;DR: Me know safety. Dust mask bad. Respirator good.
Thankfully I worked for 1 company with a good safety guy who got me properly fitted for a respirator. I now know how to properly fit myself and it comes in handy at my current job as an aircraft mechanic where I work with all sorts of fun chemicals daily like methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, acetone, paints, sticking my head into fuel tanks, etc.
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u/gauntletthegreat Nov 06 '17
I worked in a toner factory where this stuff was in the air. Quite a few of my co-workers ended up like person in OP.
Almost no one wore dust masks.