Geeking on Gasmasks

I sit and wonder some times....
1. Is a gas mask worth having?
2. What use / how practical is it?
3. What features would be desireable in a gas mask?
4. How many cartridges / accessories would be stocked?
5. They are not cheap at 300usd for a top shelf model. Is a cheap one trustable? (I don't climb on poor quality ropes no matter the cost, so guess what I think?)
6. Will it push my girlfriend over the edge or will she kinda like it?

What do you think?

Simply, no (IMO).

Gas masks or APRs (air purifying respirators), APRs are good to protect the user from a know toxin (or range of toxins). APRs are not viable protection when the toxin is unknown, or in an oxygen deficient atmosphere. Effective duration of protection provided by a cartridge(s) will vary depending on the concentration of the toxin(s) and respiratory rate of user.

Someone who lives in an environment where they know that they can be exposed to a specific hazard could find owning a gas mask helpful. For example, soldiers are issued gas mask that are designed to protect them from known chemical and biological weapons.

Now, one could argue that one of these military gas masks would be good to have. However, when would you don it? When would you take it off? Without detection equipment it how useful would it be?

If owning one makes you feel more secure, than go for it… but I bet you could find much better things to buy with the $300+...

Nice,
Thanks for the angle.
I am trying to find out if one will make me feel more secure.
Assuming a full CBRN filter I would think they would be effective against the mere H5N1.
Is this total overkill?
I would consider it if I had to treat a sick relative or loved one.
That is really the only reason I can forsee needing one. Or perhaps a loved one using it to protect themselves and treat me?

Total Overkil for H5N1 <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> all you really need is a N95 mask that fits N95 Mask

A mask meeting NIOSH CBRN standard could be useful, but I still believe that it would be overkill for most.

Thanks,
I have a ton of n95s, n99s, and p100s (cartrige type)... Call me paranoid. I'll agree with you. So will all my friends... Until I am handing out n95s to them because they cant get any at walmart <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Then they will call me prepared.
Would you go about disinfecting the mask the same way you would a cartridge type mask? Wipe down with viruscide/bactericide? I thought I saw some literature about baths for them?
Hey romania, thanks a buch podner for the advice!

Buy the disposable N95/99 masks and dump them when done. Not worth cleaning and reusing. for the p100, follow the manufacture’s directions. I personally find 10% bleach works well on rubber, metal and plastic. Cloth and paper don’t disinfect easily and you run the risk of breathing the fumes of the cleaner even after the mask dries.

1. Is a gas mask worth having?
what romania said.

2. What use / how practical is it?
only usefull if you have it with you and known when you have to wear it. Also knowning how they work is pretty handy too, every years a couple people die because they forget to take of the seals of the filter cannisters...

3. What features would be desireable in a gas mask?
One that fits properly, hydration tube, optional build in glasses thing, etc.

4. How many cartridges / accessories would be stocked?
What are you preparing for?

5. They are not cheap at 300usd for a top shelf model. Is a cheap one trustable? (I don't climb on poor quality ropes no matter the cost, so guess what I think?)
Many cheap gasmask are wel over date, they may have developed leaks, cracks, etc. Also the canister has reduceded efficientcy.

6. Will it push my girlfriend over the edge or will she kinda like it?
i'm not getting between a couple...

Ok, I'm no expert on this, but I don't find these arguments entirely convincing...



Of course you won't have guaranteed protection against an unknown threat, but military-type filters are designed to protect against a wide range of threats. (Activated charcoal/carbon will bind with or filter out all sorts of stuff, IIRC.) If I was in a situation where I thought I might benefit from one, I'd much rather have it than not.



Some possible scenarios:

• You are warned of nearby chemical leak, or a big fire with unknown pollutants in smoke.
• You are in a city and there's an explosion. It could be a dirty bomb or chemical device (though it probably isn't).
• You get caught up in a civil disturbance and the police use CS/tear gas.
• Others (say, a crowd spilling out of a tube station) have burns/eye irritation/breathing difficulties/other suspicious symptoms.

When to take a respirator off? When you have to, or are somewhere you are reliably told is safe.

Of course, I'm not arguing that a respirator is a good investment for any particular person (or most people). They do seem to be an expensive solution for a fairly unlikely problem.

As I said above, I'm no expert on this, so please tell me why I'm wrong... :-)

eeph

While you may or may not want a Field Protective Mask(gas mask), some type of filtering mask could come in real handy if you live in an area prone to large wildfires. In 2004(I think this is correct year) folks in the Fairbanks area of Alaska were subjected to heavy smoke concentrations for several continous days. This became a real health issue for folks that suffer from Asthma, etc. My daughter in law lives there and said it got to be a problem obtaining any type of filtering mask from the local stores.

I am aware of two masks designed for wildland firefighters. One has the name Hot Shield and the other is named Whiffs. They are aviable from wildfire equipment suppliers.

A set of goggles could come in handy with the mask in some siturations.

If you already have N95's then I would invest my money in something else. A filter-type NBC mask has to be refitted every year. Some types do not work with any facial hair. I was issued my first in 1983 for my riot bag. It has never been used outside of training. They DO NOT work in O2 depleted environments. If you are concerned about flu, good hygene and a box of N95's (and common sense) should get you through. If you live or work in a building over five stories, and it does not have fire sprinklers, then I might consider an escape hood with filter, once again knowing that it does not work in an O2 depleted environment, but may buy you some escape time in case of fire.

Maybe this will help NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic

I don't see a full blown, full sized mask as a reasonable option for most people. I do see N95 masks and having a mask for smoke (like the hot shield as mentioned in a previous post) is a great idea for those living in a high risk for wildfire environment... however I just use handkerchief…

A tool is only useful if you have it with you, and this tool is only useful if you have it avalible immediately to don as soon as there are indications of contamination. That means that you need some type of detection device, and must have the mask ready for use in an instant. Since the most likely place you’d need it would be in town, at work etc you’d have to find a method of carrying it all the time… That’s just not my thing.

I have numerous APRs and a couple SCBAs at home, acquired thought-out my career in emergency response (you’d be surprised what gets thrown away) I mostly kept them for teaching and as antiques but they are all still functional… however all I carry are N95 masks in my truck and one in my EDC backpack and that’s as far as I go. How far you go is a decision only you can make… Like I said if it makes you feel better, go for it just don’t neglect the training.

Re: masks to reduce disease transmission.

Everyone is thinking about the bird flu. Bird flu is a lung issue. If you have to take care of a family member with it, they may cough in your face. Even if you are wearing a mouth/nose mask, you can get the disease if it gets into your eyes (mucous membranes). You would really need a pair of safety goggles to go with it. Even a pair from the Dollar Store (the ones with soft framing are more comfortable), with the vent holes covered with clear packaging tape would do. (They would also be okay for dust/smoke and volcanic ash.)

A 3% bleach solution kills the HIV/AIDS viruses, so should be suitable for other viruses as well.

Sue

Be aware that you should be "fitted" for a N95 mask. The hospitals use a sweet tasting chemical. You wear a bag over your head while you have the mask on underneath. You read from a script (little rainbows and their pot of gold <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> designed to make you work your jaw. If you can't taste the chemical, you have a good seal. You could probably improvise a test, perhaps masks boxed for home use have instructions.

"Military" style gas masks have very specific purposes. Unless you carry it with you, expecting to be tear gassed or traveling through areas hit with chemical munitions, they won't really help you. I have one merely for S&Gs, no real expectation to ever have to use it. Unless there is a scheduled artillery barrage on my house, I would either A) die from exposure before I would know to don my mask, or B) have time to seal the house and therefore not need the mask. It would take a hell of a lot of chemical to douse an area large enough that you couldn't avoid it.

I would be very wary of buying any mil-surp masks off of ebay. Stick to NIB masks designed for the civilian market if you really want one.

I guess I should ask- do you live withing five miles of a chemical works?

If no, they aren't worth it. If you are, you MIGHT think about a filter for clorine if it is there, but there, an EVACU8 will probably be just as good. You will want to RUN, don't even bother grabbing your BOB, just GO! NOW!

If you would like to see what happens during a toxic leak/spill, check out this report ...

http://www.interfire.org/res_file/pdf/Tr-052.pdf

...of what happened in Henderson, NV (near Las Vegas) on May 6, 1991. I'm sure you will hope that your community has more intelligent people where it matters than did/does Henderson & Las Vegas.

This was a spill of 70 TONS of chlorine. When it started, the employees "thought they could handle it", so they didn't notify anyone. A woman passing on the elevated freeway called 911 from her car to report an acrid odor and a visibly green glowing cloud.

The 911 dispatchers blew her off, and the recording after she hung up showed how they called her a dumb [censored] who doesn't know squat. They didn't send anyone to check it, or notify anyone else that there might be a problem.

About 20-30 minutes later someone else called, indicating there might be a problem, but no one knew where to look because the site with the problem still hadn't called in.

When the fire dept/police figured out what was going on, they started looking around, and finally found the employees who "thought they could handle it" in need of immediate medical attention.

They started evacuating people in the area about 3:30 a.m., and several hundred had to be taken to the local hospitals, all of which were now on full alert.

There were fire and police personnel from many stations in both Henderson and Vegas, but NATURALLY, most of them couldn't communicate with each other because of use of different radio frequencies.

And, since it makes perfect sense to place chlorine factories (& other toxic liquids & gases) near places like hospitals and retirement homes, they had to evacuate everything but the hospital, which they decided not to due, as they said (hoped) that if they closed it up and had the a/c only recirculate interior air, it would be okay.

BTW, this is the same area that had the rocket fuel factory (PEPCON) blow up in 1988 and flattened everything nearby, providing two explosions (3.0 & 3.5 on the Richter earthquake scale), and leaving a crater 15' deep and over 200'+ across. Only two people died here, one who called the fire dept. & the other was in a wheelchair and couldn't escape. Fortunately, they did have an evacuation system, and started it immediately. Due to the force of the explosion, there were hundreds of injuries. I heard that one brave man grabbed a female employee out of her wheelchair and ran with her over his shoulder to safety. Due to rapidly-accelerating conditions, I don't believe there was any warning to anyone outside the factory itself.

The video of the explosions from some hills just south of the site (which I just saw for the first time 2 yrs ago) were incredible. You could SEE the shock waves!

http://www.interfire.org/res_file/pdf/Tr-021.pdf (PEPCON explosion)

My point: if anything remotely like these take place near you, RUN LIKE HELL FOR THE CAR AND GET OUT, and don't hang around to protect your property. And it doesn't matter if you have a gas mask or not.

Sue

<pre><font class="small">code:</font><hr> If you already have N95's then I would invest my money in something else. A filter-type NBC mask has to be refitted every year... </pre><hr>

My military NBC mask had to be turned in every few years (5 or 6) and replaced (they have a limited lifetime) as do the canisters. Not worth owning IMO due to $$$. You could be relying on an inadequate piece of gear instead of buggin' out.

N95s are the way to go for most scenarios.

Given the general overpreparedness of people on this list (as indicated by the every day carry thread), I'm surprised about the gas mask comments. Wouldn't a run of the mill Home Depot filter mask and some sort of sealed eye protection be really useful for hazards not associated with a direct chemical attack on your person?

Regarding bleach, I always have a big stockpile. After reading Hot Zone, it became my number one cleaning agent - stops Ebola and that's good enough for me. Just don't use it on dog urine or you will need a gas mask (learned that the hard way).

"Wouldn't a run of the mill Home Depot filter mask and some sort of sealed eye protection be really useful for hazards not associated with a direct chemical attack on your person?"

That's very true, but there have been some recent posts on safety if that Bird Flu becomes a pandemic, and if you had to care for a family member (etc) that had it, you would probably want some of the disposable masks that prevent the inhaling of viruses, as well as goggles.

For debris dust, volcano ash (maybe smoke ash) and stuff like that, the regular WallyWorld masks would probably be fine.

Sue

Hopefully you're using or rotating this big stockpile of bleach regularly, because bleach does gradually lose its disinfecting properties over time.

I live five miles from one of the largest concentrations of nerve gas in the US. The rockets are disintegrating and the experts and want to be experts are arguing as to how to dispose of them as they continue to disintegrate. So I have NBC masks. The community has a good warning system if there is an accident at the Depot. The planned evacuation system isn't trustworthy because everyone will be running into each other at the interesections in panics. I'm sealing up with the masks, assuming I'm home. The masks I have pull over the head and the fit is assured. You can wear eyeglasses underneath. I'll find the website and link later.

Even if you don't live near a chem works, I'm sure you live near a rail line, highway, restrauant, etc. Nasty chems are transported via road and rail on a daily basis - just look at all the placarded vehicles on the road. Large commercial refridgerators are frequently cooled using compress chemicals (ammonia?).

It might be worth having regardless of where you live.

~W