CDC issues advisory on respirator selection and use at home
If you need to collect belongings or do basic clean up in your previously flooded home, you do not usually need to use a respirator (a mask worn to prevent breathing in harmful substances), according to recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Times when you may want to use a respirator are explained below.
Before you enter your home or any other building, make sure it:
The N95 respirator (or N95 mask) has been approved by CDC/NIOSH and can give you some protection from dust and mold in the air. They must fit well and be worn correctly to protect you. You can buy N95 respirators in safety supply stores and in most home improvement and hardware stores. If you have trouble breathing or have any other trouble when you wear a respirator for cleanup work, stop working and contact a doctor or other medical provider.