Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Market

Market Overview

The global powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) market size was valued at USD 2.42 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 4.95 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period (2023–2031). The anticipated expansion of the Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) market is attributed to the positive impact of occupational regulations.

A powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is a respirator used to protect employees from breathing in contaminated air. PAPRs comprise a headgear-and-fan assembly that takes air contaminated with one or more kinds of pollutant or pathogen, actively removes (filters) a sufficient portion of these hazards, and then delivers clean air to the user's face, mouth, and nose. They have a higher designated protection factor than facepiece respirators with filters, such as N95 masks. Sometimes, PAPRs are called positive-pressure masks, blower devices, or blowers.

The mask may be rigid and form-fitting or flexible and loose. The former provides greater protection but is less comfortable. Tight-fitting PAPRs are required to undergo a fit test, whereas loose-fitting ones are not. This makes loose-fitting PAPRs beneficial when the fit test for a tight-fitting respirator cannot be passed, such as when facial hair is present. Masks can be impermanent or reusable. Some masks enable the entire face to be visible, facilitating interpersonal communication.

Market Dynamics

Global Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Market Drivers

Favorable Occupational Safety Regulations

Occupational safety regulations play a vital role in driving the PAPR market. The regulatory policies mandated by agencies for companies to maintain workers' safety in industries are expected to drive the demand for powered air-purifying respirators. For instance, the UK's Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (1992) require companies to provide PAPR to employees who may be subjected to health or safety risks.

In addition, the regulation requires PAPR to be assessed properly to ensure it is fit for use, along with mandating its proper maintenance and storage. The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 2002 enforce that every employer should buy or manufacture PAPR that bears a "CE" mark and complies with the design of PPE concerning regulations (HSE OM 2009/03). Other regulations that emphasize the use of PAPR include "The Ionizing Radiations Regulations 2017", "The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012", and "The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002". Such favorable regulations are expected to propel PAPR market growth over the forecast period.

Global Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Market Restraints

Lack of Consumer Awareness

Failure to acknowledge clinical urgency, lack of knowledge, and lack of supervision are some of the major challenges faced by the healthcare industry. Although the presence of health safety guidelines necessitates using PAPR in potentially high-risk areas, lack of awareness and stringent guidelines at the enterprise level leads to increasing illness cases in various industries.

Other factors, such as the absence of stringent guidelines on the exposure limits for various minerals, such as silica and asbestos, have led to increased exploration and consumption in various economies in Asia, the Pacific, and Europe. The use of non-powered respirators would result in the inward leakage of contaminated air. Such factors restrict market growth.

Global Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) Market Opportunities

Product Launches and Acquisitions by Key Players

Product innovations are a key trend gathering traction in the powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) market. Companies in the market for powered air-purifying respirators are implementing new technologies to maintain their market position. For instance. Bullard, a US-based manufacturer of scaled personal protective equipment (PPE), launched the SALUS-HC powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) for public safety and healthcare workers in August 2021. The innovative design of the SALUS-HC diverges from that of conventional, waist-mounted PAPRs by concentrating on comfort and usability.

Additionally, GVS SpA, an Italian company that designs and manufactures filtration products, acquired RPB Group in September 2021 for an undisclosed sum. With this acquisition, GVS intends to expand its respiratory market portfolio and bolster its U.S. market presence. Consequently, these initiatives by key players create opportunities for market growth.

Regional Analysis

North America Dominates the Global Market

The global powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) market is bifurcated based on region into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central and South America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America is the most significant global powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) market shareholder and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period. The growth of industries like oil and gas, chemicals, and manufacturing, especially in Canada, is anticipated to augment product demand by boosting workforce capacities. The regional market is highlighted by the presence of strict norms concerning occupational health and safety established by regulatory bodies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), American National Standard Institution (ANSI), and Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA). The stringent norms are forcing employers in the region to adopt respiratory protective equipment to ensure the safety of their employees. In addition, huge penalties associated with the non-compliance of these norms are expected to impact product demand in the region positively. Safety regulations are expected to drive the North American PAPR market over the forecast period.

Europe is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 8.2% over the forecast period. Several major global economies, such as Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Russia, characterize the European region. An increasing number of respiratory risks due to exposure to hazardous particulates in a majority of core industries like metal manufacturing, oil and gas, automotive, and refining, coupled with the growing requirement for highly effective respiratory protective equipment, is anticipated to augment the demand for powered air purifying respirators in the region over the forecast period. Due to low mortgage rates, increased construction activities in Europe are expected to propel product demand for new construction and renovation activities.

Economic activity and income distribution variations are also anticipated to influence the regional market. However, high labor costs are expected to have a negative effect on the construction industry in the region, which may result in sluggish market growth for powered air-purifying respirators over the forecast period.

In Asia-Pacific, growing investments in the construction, manufacturing, and food and beverage sectors will drive the market over the forecast period. A rapid rise in mergers and acquisitions, integration operations, and site relocations has been observed, thereby driving the demand for industrial construction in the region. Moreover, global manufacturers are expected to establish production facilities in Asia's developing countries due to low production costs. These trends are expected to boost the growth of the PAPR market in the region. In addition, the region's rising economies are predicted to have an increase in industrial deaths due to inadequate protection for workers and insufficient employee safety awareness, which is projected to drive market expansion. Technological innovation and growing consumer awareness regarding protective equipment are also expected to augment market growth.

In Central and South America, the growing investments in the defense, healthcare, and agriculture industries are expected to play a primary role in the economic growth of various countries, including Colombia and Chile. Stringent government regulations regarding employee safety and exposure to toxic gas are expected to drive the demand for PAPR in the regional market.

In the Middle East region, the growing oil and gas sector will drive PAPR demand over the forecast period. Growing concerns over respiratory illness cases and stringent industry regulations are expected to drive PAPR demand in various industries, including agriculture, construction, fire services, and healthcare. Recent developments in treating Ebola across several regions of Africa were a major factor contributing to PAPR demand in the region.

Segmental Analysis

The global powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) market is segmented by product and application.

Based on the product, the global powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) market is bifurcated into half masks, full face masks, helmets, and hoods and visors segments. 

The full-face mask segment dominates the global market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.6% over the forecast period. The full-face mask PAPR consists of an elastomeric facepiece manufactured using silicone or rubber. The full-face masks PAPRs are fitted with vapor filters, particle filters, gas filters, or a combination of all. These respirators protect while performing medium and light work rates, including sustained arm and hand movements or similar brisk walking. These masks are also tight-fitting and are required to be tested.

Additionally, increasing penetration of respiratory protective equipment in industrial applications, including manufacturing, construction, and safety applications such as fire protection and law enforcement, is expected to surge product demand. Full-face mask PAPR demand in the Asia-Pacific is characterized by growing pharmaceutical and construction industries, which are predicted to drive market growth during the forecast period.

Helmets, hoods, and visors are designed to fit various industrial applications. These headpieces can be used with different breathing devices, offering the respiratory system considerable compatibility and versatility. The surging construction and oil and gas industries in the Middle East, coupled with increasing penetration of helmets, hoods, and visors in the industries above, is anticipated to drive the market over the forecast period. Those with facial scars, missing dentures, and beards can use helmets, hoods, visors, or loose-fitting facepieces while receiving eye and respiratory protection.

Combination cartridges can shield users from exposure to vapors, fumes, and particles. These goods help keep the wearer cool by having moving air inside them. The factors above are anticipated to drive segment growth. The added weight of the blower and battery, coupled with frequent charging of the batteries, is expected to limit product penetration. The components must be disinfected and cleaned before reusing them to avoid contact exposure risk, which will likely hamper product demand.

Based on application, the global powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) market is segmented into oil and gas, metal fabrication, agricultural, food and beverage, fire services, petrochemical/chemical, industrial, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, mining, and others. 

The industrial segment owns the highest market share and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period. Growing industries, like automotive, metal forming, manufacturing, glass making, and paper and pulp, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, are anticipated to increase the demand for respiratory protective equipment, including PAPR, to protect their employees against inhalation of particulate matter, vapors, and gases. Occupational health risks in the glass manufacturing sector are primarily related to fine airborne particulate matter (PM). This particulate matter may contain silica dust deriving from silica sands, feldspar, and sometimes toxic compounds, including lead oxide, boron, arsenic, tin, nickel, and cobalt.

Additionally, particulates generated during the manufacturing process of a lead crystal can reach a lead content of 20% to 60%. Some special glass manufacturing processes may generate high levels of arsenic, antimony, and selenium in the workplace. In order to prevent occupational diseases in workers and assure their safety, governments in many countries are forcing employers to comply with occupational health and safety standards, which is expected to augment product demand in the future.

Respirators and dust masks are common in agricultural processes, including plowing, harvesting, and applying pesticides, to avoid respiratory diseases caused by various factors such as anhydrous ammonia, dust, toxic pesticides, and hydrogen sulfide accumulations. The rising prevalence of Organic Dust Toxicity Syndrome (ODTS) among farmers caused by allergic reactions to dust by grain or hay is anticipated to expedite product demand over the coming years. PAPR is ideal in areas such as fields during pesticide application, tilling, and barn lofts with moldy hay. Respiratory hazards in manure pits, barns, machinery, and silos range from chronic to acute air contaminants.

Some of the most common respiratory hazards that farmworkers are exposed to include bioaerosols such as microorganisms, organic dust, chemical toxicants, and endotoxins from the breakdown of grain and animal waste. In addition, inorganic dust from silicates during tilling and harvesting is also prevalent in the agricultural sector. Thus, proper respiratory protective measures are necessary to avoid these respiratory hazards, which is expected to benefit the demand for PAPR over the forecast period.

Impact of covid-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has positively influenced the demand for PAPR in the healthcare industry. N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), surgical N95 FFRs, and PAPRs are often utilized in the healthcare industry. When healthcare personnel is exposed to a higher risk of aerosolized microorganisms that might cause acute respiratory infections, PAPRs can be employed during procedures. However, among the respirator types mentioned above, healthcare workers are least familiar with PAPRs.

As of October 26, 2020, there were almost 42,512,186 coronavirus cases worldwide. Shortages of N95 and other particle-filtering respirator masks, surgical masks, and other essential PPE devices have been extensively reported in many hospitals as instances of COVID-19 disease have multiplied dramatically. Medical practitioners and customers have been hoarding and panic buying due to the shortage, resulting in higher costs.

Healthcare workers who are directly exposed to the COVID-19 virus should wear surgical N95 respirators or medical respirators. Alternatives to these respirators, such as surgical masks and other types of filtered facepiece respirators, such as PAPRs, full-facepieces, and elastomeric half-mask air-purifying respirators, must be used if they are not available. As a result, demand for PAPRs is expected to rise over the forecast period.

Because PAPRs are primarily used in industrial, oil and gas, and petrochemical applications, the government's lockdown restrictions had a negative impact on PAPR demand in these industries in 2020.

Market Recovery Timeline and its Challenges

The post-pandemic phase will be significant for the growth of the global powered air purifying respirator market. The recovery can be hindered by supply chain disruptions, which will affect market dynamics and the price of the product. Furthermore, distribution and transportation capability restrictions, unfavorable financial conditions, and rising expenses will challenge the global market. Also, limited production, support operations, labor shortages, and constraints for other end-user sectors, suppliers, and vendors may fail to meet consumer demand. The recovery will be challenging for the global powered air-purifying respirator market.

Recent Developments

• December 2022: Dyson introduced its first-ever headphones, the Dyson Zone, which are not only an aural device but also a dust-repellent. In conclusion, the Dyson Zone headphones are also equipped with air purifiers.
• May 2023: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health revoked eight N95 filtering facepiece respirator authorizations and four powered air-purifying respirator approvals granted for the COVID-19 public health emergency. This means that healthcare providers are no longer permitted to use them.