Medical Devices; General Hospital and Personal Use Devices; Classification of the Filtering Facepiece Respirator for Use by the General Public in Public Health Medical Emergencies

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is classifying the filtering facepiece respirator for use by the general public in public health medical emergencies into class II (special controls). The agency is classifying these devices into class II (special controls) in order to provide a reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of these devices and is specifying what those special controls are. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of a guidance document entitled, "Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Class II Special Controls Guidance Document: Filtering Facepiece Respirator for Use by the General Public in Public Health Medical Emergencies." This guidance document will serve as one of the special controls, along with certification of the respirator by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in accordance with its regulations for non-powered air-purifying particulate respirators, found in 42 CFR part 84, as specified in the classification regulation.