Which situation prompts a stem cell transplant patient to wear an N95 respirator when leaving the Protective Environment?

1. The hazard being managed is inhalation of fungal spores, and construction stirs those spores into the air. 2. During construction, renovation or other dust-generating activity in or around the facility, a high-efficiency respiratory-protection device such as an N95 respirator has been advised when the patient leaves the unit. 3. Aspergillus outbreaks associated with construction are what demonstrated the need for these controls. 4. Wearing masks or respirators outside the unit when there is no construction has not been evaluated, so a blanket rule for any journey cannot be claimed. 5. The time of day has no bearing on airborne spore counts. 6. Other infectious patients are a separate problem, answered by Transmission-Based Precautions rather than by fungal spore control. _Source: CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings (2007), Part III, section III.F. Protective Environment_