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Case Study for Verification of the Korean Test Panel Using Fit Testing of Respiratory Protective Equipment

Abstract 

Fit tests determine the adequacy of the seal of respiratory protective equipment. Several researchers (Seo et al., 2023; Park et al., 2023) have emphasized the necessity of a South Korean fit test panel. A fit test panel is necessary to assess the fit performance of a respirator and its face seal. This criterion is used to ｓelect subjects that can represent the facial characteristics of users. Although anthropometric data has been developed for people in the United States and China it is not yet available for Korea. Therefore, we developed the Korean test panel (Seo et al., 2023). For the 7th and 8th waves of the Size Korea anthropometry data, facial measurements of 11,429 individuals aged 15 to 69 years were utilized for analysis. The y-axis (face length) boundary was 97.87 to 134.59 mm, while the x-axis (face width) boundary ranged from 120.75 to 158.23 mm. A Total of 10,985 people (96.12%) were included in the bivariate panel based on face length and face width. The face types were classified into three categories. The purpose of this study was to validate the Korean test panel classified using the International Organization for Standardization ISO 16976-2 (2022) method. We recruited forty-five participants that fit this panel and compared the pass rates of fit tests. The pass rate in the small face size category was high when wearing medium-sized respirator. The medium face size category exhibited high pass rate (80%) when wearing medium or large-sized respirator. These results were similar for the large face size category (p>0.05). Finally, the test panel was verified by comparing the face size category and fit test pass rate. The fit test demonstrated good reliability and validity for matching face size categories (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, ICC 0.532; p = 0.043). Therefore, the foundation for a Korean test panel was established. This study conceptualized the standardization of Korean test panels.

Key words 

fit test, ISO, Korean test panel, Size Korea anthropometry, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient

▶출처 : Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2025