As one of the leading designers and manufacturers of respirators in the world, 3M provides products that address the needs of both workplace, regulated applications, and do-it-yourself/home-owner, non-regulated applications. For workplace uses, employees may be exposed to known concentrations of harmful contaminants for part or all of the workday. In these situations, respirators are intended to help protect the wearer by reducing their exposure to airborne contaminants from a level that may be hazardous to one that is considered safe or acceptable according to government established levels.