There are a variety of respirator ratings offered by NIOSH (us) link:[here](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/). [here](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/). Most people just use a mask with the lowest rating - N95 - unless they have a clear need to use something better. You can pick up such masks at the hardware store for very reasonable prices, and from what I've seen, there are enough Asians who wear masks in big cities that you won't stand out.