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Posted: 10/2/2001 8:31:28 PM EDT
Hey folks,  

I'm sure all of you have heard a lot of this, but I'm going to restate it anyhow, just so you can hear it firsthand from another AR-15.com-er.

The only person a gas mask sale benefits is the gasmask salesman.  (Unless you're a militaria collector, then, be my guest) Military gas masks are your worse bet.  First off, if you have any more than 24 hours of facial hair growth in the sealing area, your fit factor is probably nil.  I am an industrial hygienist for a living and I fit-test people for respirators every day.  I've never seen a passing test when someone had more than one day's growth.  In fact, OSHA will cite a company if employees are wearing respirators with any facial hair in the sealing area.

Second, if you haven't had a quantitative fit-test on the piece of respiratory equipment you intend to use, chances are that it probably doesn't fit you properly.

Lastly, your first warning that you are under a Sarin or Tabun gas attack would be the guy next to you keeling over. (or maybe you'd be his first warning) in any case, a drop on your skin is more than enough to do the trick, so don't waste your money on gas masks or "biochem suits."   Modern biological and chemical warfare agents are lethal in concentrations that are undetectable by the normal 5 senses.   Sorry about your luck.

My advice, prepare for more likely emergencies:  

I have become affiliated with a company called World Prep (www.worldprep.com).   Worldprep manufactures preparedness kits that are amazingly well thought out (Designed by a Watercraft Officer, a Navy Seal and an Environmental Engineer)  They sell several different sizes and types of kits for less than you can assemble the components for yourself.  
These kits use premium emergency and preparedness products in custom-designed bags that are of a very high quality.  

OFFICE PREPAREDNESS:  The newest kit they have is for people who work in large buildings or in big cities.  It's a small bag that attaches to a desk or wall and hardly takes up any space.  Inside it has 2 4oz packs of emergency drinking water, a NIOSH-approved N100 paper respirator (the company I work for uses these for protecting workers against lead dust and other hazardous materials - they fit everyone I've ever tested on them so far) A 2AA aluminum flashlight (like a mag-lite)  a super loud whistle, a lightstick and a mylar emergency blanket.  

I highly recommend you check this stuff out, as their doesn't appear to be any end of disastrous events happening in population centers, even if we do turn afghanistan into a smoking hole.  

 

Link Posted: 10/2/2001 9:00:33 PM EDT
[#1]
What, reads, no responses?  Comeon, I want discussion!

[argue]
Link Posted: 10/3/2001 10:11:51 AM EDT
[#2]
btt
Link Posted: 10/3/2001 10:19:31 AM EDT
[#3]
So are you selling or what?
Link Posted: 10/3/2001 11:21:56 AM EDT
[#4]
This sounds like a spam.  Are you taking a cut from world prep? Why don't you help us out by describing this quantitative fit-test?  Is it the one where you cover the mask intake and suck air in to see if there's a leak?  Or where you put on the mask and expose your face to a super strong smelling agent to see if you can detect it?
Here's how a gas mask might help me: I live near a chemical plant and some refineries.  Say one blows up. The neighborhood alarms go off and I go in side my house.  While I'm sealing up the windows and doors with duct tape I have on my mask and charcol suit.  What the hell, it's better than nothing.  Or say I'm in the city and some large building blow up.  Lots of dust and toxic fumes in the air.  I put on my mask and try to evacuate out of the area.
I don't expect the mask to help me in all types of disasters but like most buyers know, it's better than nothing.
Link Posted: 10/3/2001 12:37:04 PM EDT
[#5]
I think you'll find most of us already have several bug out bags prepared in case we have to bail.  And you're not the first company to do it either, as I ran across a few companies with websites selling pre-pacakged emergency kits.

They're great if you don't know what to do, but I think a lot of us put a lot more thought into ours than any of the existing pre-packaged kits I've seen.

God Bless Texas
Link Posted: 10/3/2001 12:41:26 PM EDT
[#6]
No, I don't get a cut from Worldpret, just want people to be informed and this is the best kit I've seen going.

What you're referring to by covering up the intake and inhaling/covering up the outlet and exhaling is called a positive/negative pressure check.  It's sort of an impropmtu fit test.  It's a QUALITATIVE as oppossed to QUANTITATIVE fit test and doesn't account for the fit of the mask under conditions like talking, looking to the left, right, up or down, etc...  

A quantitative fit test uses a machine called a portacount, and a specially probed cartridge on the respirator.  The person being tested goes through several 60-second  stages of normal breathing, deep breathing, head left and right, head up and down, talking, grimace, bend and touch toes, run in place, etc... to identify a numerical fit factor for the respirator on that particular person.  Sort of like using headspace guages on a bolt to make sure it fits that particular barrel.  

The number comes from a comparison made inside the machine.  It measures the amount of particulates in the ambient air and compares that number with the amount that enter into the respirator during each activity.  It then divides those numbers and the result has to be 100 or greater to satisfy OSHA standards.  

IN the case of "something is better than nothing" I would argue that a false sense of security is never better.  Many people buy respirators for use when painting or working with solvents and the cartridges that they use are meant only for dust or mists.  Paint fumes may penetrate right through.  The same for Charcoal filters, they will filter out gasses, but dust and mist will go right through.

Proper PPE selection is very important, no matter what your hazard is.  
Link Posted: 10/3/2001 2:18:58 PM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
Lastly, your first warning that you are under a Sarin or Tabun gas attack would be the guy next to you keeling over. (or maybe you'd be his first warning) in any case, a drop on your skin is more than enough to do the trick, so don't waste your money on gas masks or "biochem suits."   Modern biological and chemical warfare agents are lethal in concentrations that are undetectable by the normal 5 senses.   Sorry about your luck.
View Quote

I was watching CBS' 60 Miunutes II, and they had an expert on biological warfare, and he had a syringe filled with water, and he sprayed some of the liquid on the commentator's hand, and asked her "did you feel that?" she replied "no", and he said there is enough to kill you. What you says makes perfect sense.
Link Posted: 10/4/2001 3:40:23 AM EDT
[#8]
I can't believe how many people are trying to buy gas masks and respirators without having ever worn one before and not really having any experience with them.

Save your money folks!

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/weap.html

http://www.3m.com/market/safety/ohes2/html/respirator_notice.html
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