*NBC Masks*
There have been several question regarding Protective Masks and what to buy. While I will attempt to give you as much information as I can, there is no way for me to know exactly what is best. I will try to make recommendations as to what civilian type masks can be substituted for military type masks, but that choice will ultimately need to be made by you the reader, based upon your budget and of course availability. The recommendations are based upon a comparison of the military M17 and M40 series protective masks.
First of all the primary function of the Protective Mask is too keep you from inhaling or ingesting harmful particles and/or vapors that Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) can cause. Our primary concern, ranked in order by me below, based upon likelihood of the type of attack. This order is my opinion and is not necessarily correct, but will still be useful in determining what protection is needed.
Please keep in mind an M17 and M40 series chemical-biological mask, when properly fitted and worn with the hood, protects against field concentrations of all known chemical and biological agents in vapor or aerosol form, but will not protect you when the air has a low-oxygen content, such as in tunnels or caves, or when the air has a high level of smoke mixtures. Do not use it for firefighting. It does not protect against ammonia vapors or carbon monoxide. It also is not designed for radiological protection. However, worn properly, it provides added alpha and beta dust inhalation protection, and individuals should wear it in all known situations until the contamination is identified. This will apply to civilian models of full face masks with the proper filters installed.
Some definition of terms is in order, so that no confusion of what a particular filter will protect against.
Fume - Vapor, Gas or Smoke (.001-1 micron in size)
Vapor - A substance that is present in a gaseous phase, generally exists as a liquid or solid at room temperature.
Gas - A substance that exists in a gaseous phase at room temperature.
Smoke - A cloud of vapor made up of small particles.
Mist or Aerosol - Fine drops of liquid sprayed into the air. (.01-10 microns in size)
3M™
3M™Full Facepiece Respirators 7000 Series
are designed to accommodate a wide variety of cartridges, filters and combinations. The 7276 Cartridge will filter certain organic
vapors, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, chlorine dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen
sulfide (escape only) ammonia/methylamine, formaldehyde 2 or
hydrogen fluoride. This cartridge in combination with the 7090 P100 filter
in a 7287 retainer should give protection equal to or beyond what the military
specifications call for.
Millennium™ Chemical-Biological Mask (MSA)
The Millennium Chemical-Biological
Mask and the Advantage 1000 CBA-RCA Mask are effective against biological
agents and these chemical warfare (CW) agents: GA, GB (Sarin), GD, VX, Mustard,
and Lewisite. Testing conducted by MSA and independent laboratories assures
that the gas mask and canister meet the requirements for effectiveness against
CW agents using the test protocol recommended by the Chemical Agent Safety
and Health Policy Action Committee (CASHPAC). They are also effective against
OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) Riot Control Agent and HCN (Hydrogen Cyanide), but,
again, have not been tested or approved by NIOSH for these applications.
A Hycar version of the reliable military-style
gas mask (MCU-2/P Mask, used by Air Force in Desert Storm) that combines high
performance, customized fit, comfort, and cost efficiency.
PROMASK Full face mask One mask - many options! The mask for all tasks!
Approved to EN 136 Class 3, the highest standard for safety!
Promask, the new full face mask has many unique features in addition to offering
proven comfort, convenience and reliability.The Promask provides unrivalled protection using the full
range of Pro2000 filters.
A power-assisted respirator
A compressed-airline respirator
A welding shield which can also be
used with power-assisted or compressed-air supplies.
http://www.scottsafety.com/epromask.htm
Faulty
Or Expired NBC Gear List!
YOUR LIFE WILL DEPEND ON THE
TYPE OF EQUIPMENT YOU USE...
NBC FILTERS
Israeli Filters
Blue
string (Practice filter) and yellow string (NBC Rated filter)
Average
dates from 1964 to 1975
Generally
comes with Israeli masks
Should
only be used as a practice filter, if the canister is in good shape and has
no loose particle media inside
Russian A-10 Filter
This type of filter should be avoided
completely
West German Filter
East German Filter
German
R-30 Filter
For those who have this type of
filter, this is a reminder that this filter will expire on Nov 2002. After
this filter reaches it's expiration date, use for practice
M-9 Filter
60 mm
threaded filter 100% EXPIRED
M10A1 Filter
Great filter, but currently expired
You can find these with the M24 and M25 protective masks.
Super Filter (Current American Made Filter)
M13A1 Filter
This filter has a BLACK ring on
it, which means that it will only filter tear-gas and radiological particles...that
is of course if the filter wasn't expired.
The
correct color of ring is GREEN, for NBC rated...but still will not filter
chlorine, ammonia or smallpox virus.
These
filters are outdated unless you have years 1988 or better. The last known
production date was in 1991.
If you have the 1988 made filters, they will expire in
MARCH 2002 If the package is bloated then the filters are completely expired.
C2 Filter
Do not use if over 10 years old
Example:
RFT 910000CF23043
RFT [91]
Date of Manufacture
These
are surplus filters
Protective Masks
Israeli 'Civilian' Protective Mask
This picture is mostly for informational
purposes, showing you what an Israeli mask looks like with a M95 C/A filter
on. These masks are very basic in terms of protection. They tend to leak without
the user knowing.
Your
life will depend on the type of equipment you procure.
Russian/German
M10M Protective Mask
This type of protective mask should
NEVER be used for protecting against NBC warfare agents. Use ONLY for protection
against tear-gas.
Ardvark Protective Mask
Both of the Russian masks listed
here and below are not even worth the trash bag to throw them away in. To
put it nicely, if his s the type of protective masks you and your family
have in your home when there is a chemical release, then you will be leaving
your residence in "body bags". ------SORRY They do make nice conversation
pieces.
Russian SMS Protective Mask
M9/M9A1 Protective Mask
Completly outdated. Uses a 60 mm
threaded filter which haven't been produced in a long time. Show item ONLY
C3 Canadian Protective Mask
Also known as the M69 protective
mask. The Canadian Military rotated these out of issue because of problems
with the voice-mitter leaking. If you own one of these you will need to check
it with Banana Oil Ampules be sure to check around the eye pieces and more
importantly, the voice-mitter.
The expired mask list was taken from the American School of
Defense. http://www.asod.org/index.htm
I include it here in order to completely cover the dangers
of having the above masks.
All materials at this site not otherwise credited are Copyright © 1996 - 2001 Trip Williams. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for personal use only. Use of any material contained herein is subject to stated terms or written permission.