Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series detailing the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Respirator Approval Program and its impact on Missouri workers and manufacturers. Part two will examine ways policymakers, industry leaders and advocates are responding to funding challenges and what is at stake if the program is weakened. When a Missouri miner lowers his helmet into the dark earth, or when a local welder sparks his torch, the mask covering their face might be the only thing standing between them and permanent lung damage. According to International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Senior Director of Policy Dan Glucksman, that piece of equipment and the confidence it brings depend on a little-known federal program now facing budget uncertainty. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Respirator Approval Program (RAP) serves as the certification standard for respiratory protective gear across the country. Without it,…