title
Proclamation recognizing NIOSH-NPPTL upon the 100th anniversary of the first respirator approval.
body
WHEREAS, in 1919, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) initiated the first respirator certification program; and
WHEREAS, several months later, on Janurary 15, 1920, the USBM certificated the first respirator to protect miners from oxygen-deficient and toxic atmospheres; and
WHEREAS, through two world wars and the creation of chemical warfare agents, inhalation and environmental threats rised. With advances in science and technology, respirator protection expanded and standards were developed, and there was a move from advisory to mandatory protection; and
WHEREAS, today, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NIOSH-NPPTL) in South Park Township works for respirator certification and carries out research, testing and related activities specific to respirator protection and other protective equipment; and
WHEREAS, while the role of respirators have changed in the last 100 years, NIOSH-NPPTL is dedicated to protecting workers from respiratory hazards on the job, from emergency responders who are first to enter a hazardous scene to healthcare providers treating patients with Ebola to life’s evergreen exposures and future emergencies; and
WHEREAS, on January 15, 2020, NIOSH-NPPTL will recognize the 100th anniversary of the first respirator approval;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, Allegheny County Council Members Sam DeMarco, Bethany Hallam and John Palmiere, do hereby congratulate NIOSH-NPPTL for their efforts to protect workers from airborne toxins, and I thank them for their continued dedication to improving respiratory protection and protective equipment.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto caused the Seal of the County of Allegheny to be affixed this 15th day of January 2020.