The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed performance appropriate standards and test procedures for all classes of respirators that will provide respiratory protection from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agent inhalation hazards.

These NIOSH CBRN respirator standards can be accessed at www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/standardsdev/cbrn/.

In addition, NIOSH has published a recent and succinct review/comparison of PPE standards.

"Attention Emergency Responders: Guidance on Emergency Responder Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Response to CBRN Terrorism Incidents" is now available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-132/pdfs/2008-132.pdf.