N95 respirators are part of a family of respirators which filter airborne hazards. The letter N means the respirator does not filter oil. The 95 indicates the percentage of particulates it can filter. / / N99 and N100 filters are similar, but remove higher percentages of particulates. Those designated R are partially resistant to oil. Respirators with the letter P are fully resistant to oil. HE respirators are High Efficiency. / / NIOSH is the government agency which rates these respirators, which are Particulate Filtering.? This category breaks down into three types: filtering face piece, elastomeric and powered air purifying respirators (PAPR) / / Watch out for fake respirators. It?s true. Some sellers offer counterfeits, which are inefficient and dangerous. Hear more in this podcast.