An asbestos respirator is like a particulate respirator except that it's more heavy-duty. Asbestos usually comprises of bigger particles that's why asbestos respirators usually have full-faced masks.
This respirator is more heavy-duty because not only do you need to protect yourself from inhaling the asbestos; you also need to protect your eyes from the particles. You wouldn't want those hitting you in the eyes.
You can navigate this site if you want to buy an asbestos respirator.
Asbestos was widely used a few decades ago when it comes to the construction of houses and buildings. Right now, because of its threat to human health, the use of asbestos fibers to build new establishments is illegal.
Now that it's illegal, why is there a need for an asbestos respirator? The use of asbestos was banned in the 70s and there are still a lot of buildings before that time that are still standing right now. And many of these buildings are being demolished every now and then to be replaced by new ones. These buildings contain a heavy amount of asbestos. People who are involved in the deconstruction of the building should be equipped with asbestos masks.
Prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers has been known to cause quite a number of illnesses including lung cancer. Don't panic though. If you're only exposed to a small of asbestos fibers, then you're probably safe.
You also won't get sick right away. Asbestos-related illnesses usually take at least a couple of years to develop and again, it takes a lot of asbestos to make you sick. In fact, even workers who worked with asbestos don't necessarily develop any disease at all. They probably wore an asbestos respirator.
An asbestos respirator mask is crucial when you work in the demolition business. A lot of these old buildings are made from asbestos fibers. You wouldn't want you and your workers to get sick from the asbestos. Also, with all the particles thrown up in the air because of demolition, you would also want to protect your eyes.
This kind of respirator is more or less much more expensive than your regular respirators. Again, they're heavy-duty and they cover the entire or a significant portion of the face. There's a lot of protection for the wearer.