Tiny dust particles and droplets suspended in the atmosphere have a definite influence on our climate, but we are a long way from defining precisely the role that aerosols play. That they do have an effect was established more than a decade ago.

Scattering and absorbingaerosolsin the climate system

This resource does not replace the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations and should not be used as or considered legal advice. Health and safety inspectors apply and enforce these laws based upon the facts they find in a workplace.

PPE, such as respirators, are an important safety measure, but are considered least effective in the hierarchy of controls. Where PPE is required by the OHSA and its regulations, employers must still consider using other protective measures first, to protect workers.

Tight-fitting respirators must have an uninterrupted seal between the worker’s face and the respirator and be fit-tested.

Troposphere

The majority of aerosols reach the atmosphere by natural means – salt condensed from ocean waters, fine sand from desert dust storms, ice crystals over the poles and ash from fires as well as eruptions – but human activities account for 10% of global aerosol loading, mostly concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere.

In some cases, where tight-fitting respirators are required, workers with facial hair and beards can wear other types of respiratory equipment, such as a loose-fitting powered air purifying respirator (PAPR). These respirators may achieve the same or greater levels of protection, and do not require fit testing.

Workers must wear the right type of respirator for the specific hazard. Different respirators protect workers from different hazards. Some respirators offer protection from chemicals, vapours or gases, while other respirators — such as, the tight-fitting N95 respirator — are designed to protect workers from particulate or aerosolized hazards.

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Aerosols may play another indirect role in climate by 'seeding' new clouds, and changing the properties of existing ones, possibly making cloud droplets smaller and longer-lived, and clouds themselves more effective at reflecting solar radiation.

This mass of aerosols stayed circling the globe for three weeks – and temporarily reversed the effects of global warming. The aerosol cloud reflected and scattered incoming solar radiation, with the long term result that the Earth's surface cooled by an average of half a centigrade during 1992.

Aerosol can

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The OHSA and its regulations do not always require tight-fitting respirators to be used to meet requirements related to exposure to hazardous substances.

Some workers need to wear a mask or respirator to be safe at work. If they have a beard or facial hair, they may still be able to properly and safely wear a mask or respirator. Employers can keep these workers safe while complying with their duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

This incident highlighted another fact about atmospheric aerosols – their normal background levels have been increasing steadily over time, with uncertain results.

Atmospheric aerosol

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development advances safe, fair and harmonious workplace practices that are essential to the social and economic well-being of the people of Ontario.

Iron-rich desert dust blown into the ocean can stimulate phytoplankton growth – and so increase the absorption of carbon dioxide – while particles blown onto an ice field can decrease its albedo and hasten its melting.

Workers who are required to use a tight-fitting respirator must be clean shaven where the respirator meets the skin to ensure a tight fit and to pass a fit test.. This uninterrupted seal between the worker's face and the respirator must be maintained every time a worker wears a tight-fitting respirator.

Aerosols are largely absent from current climate models, and their effects are difficult to quantify. Many aerosols reflect sunlight, and so cool down the atmosphere immediately below them. But black carbon aerosols do just the opposite, acting to absorb heat energy.

Aerosol spray

Mount Pinatubo devastated the Philippines when it erupted in 1991, forcing half a million people from their homes. The largest eruption for a century, its wider effects was felt across the world. It shot 20 million tonnes of volcanic ash particles and sulphur dioxide droplets high into the stratosphere.

The ministry is currently funding research into the Singh Thattha technique with experts and other stakeholders to evaluate evidence on the safety and effectiveness of the method. We will have more information to share in the coming months.

Employers have different measures available under the hierarchy of controls to reduce exposure to respiratory hazards, including:

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Where required, employers must train workers and provide instructions on the care and use of the respirator before the worker first uses it. The training shall include, but is not limited to:

PPE, such as N95 respirators, are considered a last resort when other protective measures in the hierarchy of controls are not reasonable or practical to adopt.

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The type of respirator or mask workers should use depends on the task itself, including the form and concentration of the hazardous substance to which a worker is exposed. It does not depend on whether the worker has a beard or not. For example:

Satellite-based atmospheric instruments can detect the spectral signatures of aerosols with sufficient wavelength coverage to determine their size distribution and concentration. Optical sensors such as Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) can evaluate aerosol properties including optical thickness. And a future mission called EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) intends to study aerosols' interaction with clouds.

Employers should consider the reasons why a person objects to being clean shaven and remember they have obligations under Ontario human rights legislation to accommodate workers seeking accommodation under a protected ground when setting job requirements.

Aerosols in the atmosphere can also work as sites for chemical reactions to take place, most notably high in the stratosphere every Antarctic winter. Floating ice particles that form polar stratospheric clouds have reactions take place on their surfaces, liberating large amounts of chlorine to react with the ozone layer.

Learn about how workers with beards and facial hair can safely and effectively use masks or respirators when required in the workplace.

Black carbon and sulphur dioxide are spewed from 'dirty' power stations and industrial smoke stacks while hydrocarbons are emitted from car exhausts and stratospheric vapour crystals from aircraft engines.

When required, employers must provide respiratory protective equipment that protects the worker. Where a worker has facial hair, when choosing appropriate alternative protective equipment, they may consider:

Earth observation provides a global census of aerosol loads, following them through from their origins, their interaction with atmospheric components and the energy budget, and finally their deposition on the surface.