American Powered Air-Purifying Respirators Set New Standard

June 18, 2021 by Reece Nations
American Powered Air-Purifying Respirators Set New Standard

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that the nation’s manufacturing capabilities were ill-prepared to respond to the urgent needs of the medical community.

As the pandemic’s scope progressed, so did China’s chokehold on supplying countries with personal protective equipment and other front-line medical hardware such as masks, testing kits and respirators. One company, however, Brooklyn-based American PAPR, has taken the initiative to fulfill the demand for PPE and powered air-purifying respirators by drawing from domestic resources, supply chains, manufacturing and labor.

Giles Kyser, a retired United States Marine Corps colonel and CEO of American PAPR, said that while air respirators like the ones his company produces were commonly used prior to the pandemic in a variety of fields, the threat faced by front-line medical workers in combating the spread of the virus became their new focus.

“There did not exist the density of powered air-purifying respirators or PPE at large to protect the large numbers of people that found themselves exposed to the threat,” Kyser said. “Back during that time, people were going nuts trying to get their hands on the N95 masks and gloves and face shields. People were doing all manner of things trying to protect themselves because there was a lot of uncertainty with it.”

From inception to implementation, American PAPR completed its product certification process in just seven weeks. Kyser said these procedures usually take up to a couple of years to complete, highlighting the level of commitment his company has to its mission of adequately addressing current and future pandemic threats.

Powered air-purifying respirators represent the most effective way to protect at-risk medical workers by virtue of the technology they encompass and the level of protection the devices provide, Kyser said. In addition, they provide an unmatched level of comfort while still allowing for nonverbal communication between medical personnel and patients.

American PAPR’s FELIX™100 is the first respirator approved under new National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health standards for health care workers, and the product’s high-efficiency particulate air filters are certified to have 99.97% effectiveness at capturing particulates of 0.3 micrometers or larger.

“When you have an uncertain threat environment, when you have a pandemic which is spreading at the rate at which it was, you can see the sense of urgency that existed inside of those hospitals,” Kyser said. “And that’s where American PAPR saw its opportunity to do good and do well, simultaneously.”

Not only would the company be doing good for medical personnel in general, Kyser said this presented an opportunity to establish a precedent for the return of American reliance on domestic manufacturing and supply chain independence. Instead of depending on China’s supply of PPE, the company could create a template for supporting American jobs going forward whenever instances of deep economic despair arise.

Kyser’s sentiments reflect a reality not lost on the Biden-Harris Administration. In February, President Joe Biden formally ordered a government review of potential vulnerabilities in U.S. supply chains for crucial commodities, intending to shore up weaknesses that led to shortages of PPE in the early stages of the pandemic last year.

Further, Kyser said these products will see usage post-pandemic as well. They can be used not only by doctors and nurses in hospitals but also for respiratory protection in law enforcement, military and industrial settings.

“This is where we need federal and state government to come in on the side of doing the right thing,” Kyser said. “Not only for the doctors and nurses, but doing the right thing for the nation by saying, ‘Look, we’re going to stop spending taxpayer money on state and federal acquisitions that don’t use American companies.’ We like being part of that solution.” 

A+
a-
  • COVID-19
  • GIles Kyser
  • PPE
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Health

    April 25, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Kennedy Unveils Plan to Expand Access to Sickle Cell Treatment

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a morning keynote address before a group of state lawmakers... Read More

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a morning keynote address before a group of state lawmakers in Charleston, South Carolina, to unveil a new initiative intended to expand access to the latest treatments for sickle cell disease. Kennedy offered few details in... Read More

    Whooping Cough Cases Rising Again in the US

    Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in... Read More

    Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in 2025, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s twice as many cases as this time last year, based on the... Read More

    Bluebells and Other Spring Flowers Can Be Nature's Antidote to Stressful Times

    HALLE, Belgium (AP) — Gilles Gui was looking for the magical purple bluebells that raise their heads each spring under... Read More

    HALLE, Belgium (AP) — Gilles Gui was looking for the magical purple bluebells that raise their heads each spring under the budding beech leaves of the Hallerbos forest, an annual explosion of color that draws crowds from around the world. And in these times full of stress... Read More

    EPA Chief Demands That Mexico Stop Tijuana Sewage From Flowing Into California

    SAN DIEGO (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that Mexico must stop the flow of billions of... Read More

    SAN DIEGO (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that Mexico must stop the flow of billions of gallons of sewage and toxic chemicals from Tijuana that has polluted the Pacific Ocean off neighboring Southern California, closing beaches and sickening Navy SEALs who train... Read More

    April 22, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    FDA to Phase Out Petroleum-Based Dyes in Foods

    WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it plans to end the use of petroleum-based synthetic food... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it plans to end the use of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes in America’s food supply within the next two years in a bid to combat a myriad of health concerns, especially among children. The policy was... Read More

    Advanced Cancers Returned to Prepandemic Levels, According to Report

    Many Americans were forced to postpone cancer screenings — colonoscopies, mammograms and lung scans — for several months in 2020 as COVID-19... Read More

    Many Americans were forced to postpone cancer screenings — colonoscopies, mammograms and lung scans — for several months in 2020 as COVID-19 overwhelmed doctors and hospitals. But that delay in screening isn't making a huge impact on cancer statistics, at least none that can be seen yet by... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top