Yes, I would put the ability to breathe as number one, for if not able to breath, you can cancel everything else.
Raf
or as the lung association says "when you can't breathe nothing else matters"
Being a newbie, but also having been a certified Haz Mat remediation worker, Asbestos worker, confined space rescue tech, blah blah blah.
Allow me to add this brief summary
There are 2 main respiratory hazards in welding: 1)metal fumes and particulates. 2) vapors/gases Each of these needs a certain type of respirator cartridge to be effective in general a p100 will stop most particulates up to the level the mask can accommodate.Think of it like a coffee filter, the filter keeps out the coffee grounds but you still get coffee. For other things in the air vapors from burning paint or plastics you will need a separate cartridge. This cartridge will be for filtering chemicals in the air, or the coffee part of the coffee
A excellent principal is that, as Opus brought up is the engineering controls are primary. Meaning if you can set up a fan, use a different material, or whatever to avoid making the problem that is better (and required by law) rather than trying to stop the junk from getting into your lungs with a piece of safety equipment.
