Discussion on "Gas Masks". What do we need?

[little_scrapper]

With all the talk of civil unrest and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer; I have been looking into "Gas Masks".

And like almost any other piece of equipment it stands to reason that I should get a good one. Therefore, thinking Full CBRN, NIOSH rated, full face mask etc. etc etc.

However, I wear glasses. Therefore I need some kind of insert for prescription glasses. Full shield as opposed to eye holes is a must.

What should I be looking at? Which canister types and attachment schemes. ie NATO 40mm or 5 lug 1/4turn whatever. What is best, easiest, cheapest, availablest?

 

[Cascade Hemi]

For sure you'll want an integrated helmet.

 

[little_scrapper]

If I decide to hole up in Sea World then that actually looks practical. Otherwise.... Nope.

 

[little_scrapper]

Looking at something like this, or this or this or this:

https://www.amazon.com/MIRA-SAFETY-Respirator-Respiratory-Professional/dp/B07YP6J8YV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1V8CF7LFAD9D7&keywords=cbrn+gas+mask&qid=1580087352&sprefix=CBRN%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1

3M(TM) FR-7800B Series CBRN Mask, L: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

3M(TM) FR-7800B Series CBRN Mask, L: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

FACEPIECE Millennium PKG LG Clear: Safety Respirator Cartridges And Filters: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

FACEPIECE Millennium PKG LG Clear: Safety Respirator Cartridges And Filters: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

However I am not up to speed on what canister types I SHOULD be looking into and a mask that takes them.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Depends on the situation and application. There is no one that cover's it all. Here's one for a short duration:

3M™ Scott™ Air-Pak™ X3 SCBA | 3M Scott

The Air-Pak X3 SCBA was designed to exceed the new requirements outlined in the 2013 edition of the 1981 and 1982 standards.

www.3mscott.com

AV-3000 HT Facepiece | 3M Scott

www.3mscott.com

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Low budget:

Polish Army NBC Gas Mask

The Polish MC-1 gas mask is a military surplus gas mask designed for the Polish land forces. Originally developed to protect troops from nuclear, biological, chemical and radioactive threats, these surplus masks are now available in the United States. These Polish gas masks feature design...

www.keepshooting.com

 

[Blutroop]

Just find a army surplus store and buy a m-40 style and a few extra filters. During my time we had to be able to deploy them in under 9 seconds and they worked with bcg(mil issued glasses)

 

[TheGerman]

My wife literally brought this up to me this week and I laughed at her.

She knows I have a few millienieum masks and NBC filters but planning to have them to save yourself from an airborne virus is retarded.

First, the filters don't last that long. Secondly, whats the virus look like in the air? Whens it going to be there so you know when to put the mask on?

 

[Blutroop]

My wife literally brought this up to me this week and I laughed at her.

She knows I have a few millienieum masks and NBC filters but planning to have them to save yourself from an airborne virus is retarded.

First, the filters don't last that long. Secondly, whats the virus look like in the air? Whens it going to be there so you know when to put the mask on?

He did mention civil unrest.. and nothing like wearing a gas mask in a bar to ensure your not exposed to any Mexican beer. Or any beer for that matter. Unless you bring a canteen with you to use the straw and maybe a adaptor to use the mike with your phone?

 

[Alpine 338]

Just stay away from the mass population. Avoid crowds, go to the supermarket late at night or very early in the morning. Pump you gas after midnight, etc. Wash your hands often, and don't put your fingers near your mouth, nose, or eyes unless they have been thoroughly washed first. Don't use public toilets, unless you can sanitize it first, including the flush handle/lever, and all handles and door knobs. Don't fly commercialy, as you're locked up for hours inside a giant germ incubator. Same thing with public schools, restaurants, offices with cubical's where everyone is coughing and sneezing.

 

[little_scrapper]

Yes, yes all that is good stuff. But what if someone sabotages the chlorine tank at the food processing center 3 miles up wind. Or a nuclear war. Germs and viruses I can handle. I eat sh|t right off the floor. And not just at the food court with their cleaned daily floors either.

 

[Alpine 338]

You'll need specialized filters for Chlorine, and change often. As mentioned above, no one filter can do it all. Also note, some filters deteriorate over time, and loose effectiveness, especially if the seal is broken. So buying surplus is not always a wise choice.

 

[little_scrapper]

I can figure out what chemical to filter. What I am really wondering is what attachment type I should be looking at. Kind of the same reasoning as I built AR15/AR10 in 556/762 as opposed to 6.8spc or 6.5. I will always be able to find ammo.

Should I be looking at a mask that takes, what is it? 40mm NATO canisters, What canister (attachment type) would you say will be the easiest to find and most readily available?

And again, I want a mask that has an attachment for prescription lenses. Prescrip glasses is MUST. Then again it seems nowadays Lasik would be cheaper then a new pair of glasses.

 

[Alpine 338]

The filters are called Standard 40mm NATO threaded Canister Filters. Common with some commercialy available masks also.

As far as prescription eye wear, you will have to purchase glasses that a specific to the mask system you are using. All mask systems that cover the eyes, require a specialized eye glass frame, as common glass frames don't provide a good sealing option with masks. Here's an example.

Respirator Mask Inserts Archives

Browse our collection of Respirator Mask Inserts here. Contact us today to learn more about our products. We look forward to helping you.

www.rx-safety.com

 

[Ravenworks]

Yes, yes all that is good stuff. But what if someone sabotages the chlorine tank at the food processing center 3 miles up wind. Or a nuclear war. Germs and viruses I can handle. I eat sh|t right off the floor. And not just at the food court with their cleaned daily floors either.

I'm 5 miles from one of the last refineries in the US that uses HF acid to crack the lead in it's Alky unit.

No cure for that one except Morphine, you are going to die a horrible death.
Anything in a 25 mile radius is gone
A full MOP suit and mask will do nothing.
There is a shit ton more to it than buying something surplus and betting your life on it.

Some of the cold storage/ meat processing plants around here have 100's of thousands of pounds of liquid Ammonia on hand

 

[little_scrapper]

The filters are called Standard 40mm NATO threaded Canister Filters. Common with some commercialy available masks also.

As far as prescription eye wear, you will have to purchase glasses that a specific to the mask system you are using. All mask systems that cover the eyes, require a specialized eye glass frame, as common glass frames don't provide a good sealing option with masks. Here's an example.

Respirator Mask Inserts Archives

Browse our collection of Respirator Mask Inserts here. Contact us today to learn more about our products. We look forward to helping you.

www.rx-safety.com

NO NO NO. No suction cup type. They fall off.

Not necissarily this exact one but one like it.; https://www.gasdetectorshop.com/Cle...urce=googleshopping&utm_medium=shoppingengine

3M 6000 Series Half and Full Facepiece Spectacle Kit (3M 6878) | HomElectrical.com

Buy 3M 6878 6000 Series Half and Full Facepiece Spectacle Kit on HomElectrical.com.

www.homelectrical.com

They clip into/onto the anti-fog nose piece.

 

[little_scrapper]

First, the filters don't last that long. Secondly, whats the virus look like in the air? Whens it going to be there so you know when to put the mask on?

I would think that if they are (mostly) filtering clean air they would last quite a long time. Am I not correct. In terms of chemical filters; they have a finite amount of chemical they can react with and the time it takes is dependent on the concentration of that chem. Therefore, opened and in use canisters would remain effective for quite a while, relatively speaking, in the absence of any of those chemicals to react with.

In terms of virus is that not simply a mechanical filtration removing infectious particles from the air. Sneeze molecules? Or is there an anti-micronial aspect to this I am not aware of? Educate me.

 

[M8541Reaper]

Honestly it’s easier and cheaper to just accept your fate, especially based on the example scenarios you provided. Gas masks are all cool and dandy until it’s time to carry, maintain, wear, decon, eat, drink, puke, etc with it, especially in an environment that would require one.

If it comes to needing a gas mask/respirator for something other than tear gas or cutting concrete (which full face gas masks are awesome for this lol), you’re already fucked. Escape hoods/respirators are great and more practical for most civil unrest scenarios if you’re trying to get clear of a smokey environment or out of a building that’s filled with smoke.

The best use for a gas mask is to mentally destroy yourself during a circuit workout or ruck run. The whole CBRN/End of Days fall out scenario with the intent of escaping or navigating a biological or chemical hazard would pretty much be game over before you could get past the loading screen.

EDIT:
Just to wrap up my seemingly negative opinion with a positive one... if you’re serious about this topic, I’d look into becoming a volunteer firefighter and attending some hazmat seminars/courses/training. That would be the easiest and cheapest way to learn more so you can better form a personal response plan for you and your family. Would also get you familiar with the decontamination process, which if you don’t do properly or even know how to, no amount of protective gear will save you or those around you.

 

[mjsand44]

I don’t know if this helps but at my work we wear avon and a few guys went to there optometrist and got lenses made for their masks. They contacted the manufacturer to find what frame they they recommended and ordered the lenses separate.
I just bought contacts and never worried about it.

 

[little_scrapper]

Honestly it’s easier and cheaper to just accept your fate, especially based on the example scenarios you provided. Gas masks are all cool and dandy until it’s time to carry, maintain, wear, decon, eat, drink, puke, etc with it, especially in an environment that would require one.

If it comes to needing a gas mask/respirator for something other than tear gas or cutting concrete (which full face gas masks are awesome for this lol), you’re already fucked. Escape hoods/respirators are great and more practical for most civil unrest scenarios if you’re trying to get clear of a smokey environment or out of a building that’s filled with smoke.

The best use for a gas mask is to mentally destroy yourself during a circuit workout or ruck run. The whole CBRN/End of Days fall out scenario with the intent of escaping or navigating a biological or chemical hazard would pretty much be game over before you could get past the loading screen.

You go right ahead and roll over and go to sleep to never wake up. Im gonna take every last breath and every last step I can until I cant. My kids deserve it. EDIT: Ok I like your edit. Council reaccepted.

I live west of the twin cities. Why? The prevailing winds are to the east and NE. Well thats not why per se, I just happen to like the west suburbs over St. Paul. That put me in a position to avoid fallout.

 

[M8541Reaper]

You go right ahead and roll over and go to sleep to never wake up. Im gonna take every last breath and every last step I can until I cant. Your council is no longer needed. You already gave up.

I know and I plan to. Gotta let the simulation reset man. Fighting it only makes it worse lol
On a serious note, I went back and added a positive piece of advice that may help you.

 

[little_scrapper]

Saw it and recinded your non-council status. Thanks.

 

[little_scrapper]

Seriously trying to nail down a choice. CBRN, full face, drinking system, prescript eyeglasses, voice diaphram for communicating.. what else do I want.

I plan on picking up several for the family, canisters with 20 yr shelf life would be nice.

Im going on a list somewhere aint i? LOL

 

[M8541Reaper]

Saw it and recinded your non-council status. Thanks.

No problem man lol. 2020 has me working on trying to somewhat balance my negativity with a dash of positivity lol.
But seriously, look into that. You’ll learn a lot. Especially with having a family, the DECON process is really important.

 

[Broncovan]

Get one of these

M17
You'll find out what breathing through a straw and trying to see through a fog is like.

 

[deersniper]

Real Polish Military Full Gas Mask Filter Emergency Survival Surplus Goggles | eBay

Find great deals for Real Polish Military Full Gas Mask Filter Emergency Survival Surplus Goggles. Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.com

 

[rockn30809]

As mentioned in a few other responses, DECON can/will be a big issue depending on what your exposed to. I wear a respirator often for work and ours are frisked, visually inspected then go into what amounts to a big dishwasher for DECON and sanitizing then visually inspected again before having new cartridges installed then vacuum sealing.

 

[Krazy_jim]

These filters may be for use with specific gasses in the air. Thing is they do lose their effectiveness after time without any presence of said gas in the air.

I have used expired cartridges for ammonia, and was clearly getting vapours inside of my mask. New cartridges fixed that issue.

I wear 3m fullface for work at times. The mask itself will last a very long time, but the cartridges are limited.

 

[sam4886]

Scott and MSA both make good full face masks. Get the ones with the head net/straps, the all rubber straps suck ass after about 15 minutes.

I don't know what would have the most options for stockpiled filters, but I'm guessing one of the two. Everything I've used, the Scotts and msa, have their own adapters, but use the same filters. Its been mentioned, but you'll want to have different filters for different uses. Particulate filters will let that chlorine right through.

The MSAs we use for firefighting have speakers on them that make communication easier. Scotts have an option for them as well I think.

 

[GrayRyder]

I've trained myself to hold my breath for over 45 minutes. Enough time to clear the area.

 

[loveha]

If I could get one of the new ones that came out that was issued to me around 2012 I would get that one. Full lense, compact filter, comfortable. Was high speed low drag for a military gas mask.

 

[Blutroop]

I think I saw those.. 200 in army surplus store. M-40 was only 50. It did look Comfy though

 

[acudaowner]

that's sort of funny the water used to make Mexican beer is already weaponized from Mexico you just have to drink enough to allow you body to build up a tolerance to it sort of like taco bell food no extra charge for the diarrhea or food poising and people say hot dogs are bad for you .

 

[Blue Sky Country]

With all the talk of civil unrest and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer; I have been looking into "Gas Masks".

And like almost any other piece of equipment it stands to reason that I should get a good one. Therefore, thinking Full CBRN, NIOSH rated, full face mask etc. etc etc.

However, I wear glasses. Therefore I need some kind of insert for prescription glasses. Full shield as opposed to eye holes is a must.

What should I be looking at? Which canister types and attachment schemes. ie NATO 40mm or 5 lug 1/4turn whatever. What is best, easiest, cheapest, availablest?

----------
and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer
----------

Fuckin' A right there... Almost choked on a mouthful of water.

The Miller half face respirator that I use for welding should be more than adequate to deal with an airborne pathogen. If it can handle all of the really nasty cocktail of potentially lethal fumes produced by running 120 amps through steel and flux, filtering out a virus should be no problem.

HOWEVER, protecting yourself from exposure to a pathogen requires multiple avenues of approach, not just donning the correct PPE. Infectious agents are notorious for lingering around on surfaces. All it takes is you grabbing the doorknob of the McDonalds shitter that had been touched previously by an infectious person, and then rubbing your nose afterwards, or worse, wiping ketchup from your childrens' faces afterwards.

Bottom line is, in disease control and prevention, there are no direct or absolute methods. Practice strict hygiene, eat plenty of fresh fruits, making sure your body is well hydrated and supplied with proper nutrients... Those are just some of the steps.

 

[little_scrapper]

is rum n coke proper?

 

[McReef]

I have a couple of the 3M 6800 units. I don’t know how they’d hold up against fallout, but they are comfy as hell, and I haven’t died yet in spite of my best efforts. I always have a small assortment of cartridges on hand for whatever I might get up to. I don’t wear glasses, do can’t help you there, but there is plenty of room in there for one of them previously mentioned doohickeys.

They are comfortable enough I use them pretty much anytime I would throw on safety glasses. Just about anything that requires them is going to make dust and/or fumes anyway. It’s probably a big no-no, but I don’t bother buying particulate filters, that’s what old, spent, but lightly used “fancier” cartridges are for.

 

[Blutroop]

----------
and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer
----------

Fuckin' A right there... Almost choked on a mouthful of water.

The Miller half face respirator that I use for welding should be more than adequate to deal with an airborne pathogen. If it can handle all of the really nasty cocktail of potentially lethal fumes produced by running 120 amps through steel and flux, filtering out a virus should be no problem.

HOWEVER, protecting yourself from exposure to a pathogen requires multiple avenues of approach, not just donning the correct PPE. Infectious agents are notorious for lingering around on surfaces. All it takes is you grabbing the doorknob of the McDonalds shitter that had been touched previously by an infectious person, and then rubbing your nose afterwards, or worse, wiping ketchup from your childrens' faces afterwards.

Bottom line is, in disease control and prevention, there are no direct or absolute methods. Practice strict hygiene, eat plenty of fresh fruits, making sure your body is well hydrated and supplied with proper nutrients... Those are just some of the steps.

Tell me more about your Miller respirator. I need something like that for work. Especially how much $ are they.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Tell me more about your Miller respirator. I need something like that for work. Especially how much $ are they.

I have the LRP-100 model, which takes replacement P-100 filters designed to isolate 99.7% of all metal fumes and particulate matter. Most of the Miller units are built in a way so they can still be worn comfortably under a welding helmet.

These ran me around $30 when I got them and the replacement filters are around $8 to $9 for a two-pack.

Miller LPR-100 Low Profile Respirator with P100 Filter

Miller LPR-100 respirator is designed to fit comfortably under most welding helmets. Perfect for compact respiratory protection in tough environments.

bakersgas.com

NOTE: Respirators like the LRP-100 protects against fumes and particles. They do NOT shield the user against gas, or the displacement of oxygen caused by the presence of a gas. That is why adequate ventilation is still essential when doing processes that vents fumes/gases into the air. And also, if welding is involved, NEVER use chlorinated solvents to clean workpieces. Anything chlorine, chloride, hypochlorite, etc... NOPE. Even residual amounts will produce lethal phosgene gas under the application of an electrical current.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

I'm 5 miles from one of the last refineries in the US that uses HF acid to crack the lead in it's Alky unit.

No cure for that one except Morphine, you are going to die a horrible death.
Anything in a 25 mile radius is gone
A full MOP suit and mask will do nothing.
There is a shit ton more to it than buying something surplus and betting your life on it.

Some of the cold storage/ meat processing plants around here have 100's of thousands of pounds of liquid Ammonia on hand

I pride myself on being able to show a pigheaded, almost retarded level of bravery when facing many situations...

However, hydrofluoric acid scares the living daylights out of me. Even more so than radiation or being trapped in a burning building with all egress blocked by flames. If there is a chemical that the devil himself had concocted, HF has to be it... And it amuses me that in Breaking Bad, the characters are all shown handling pretty large quantities of HF with mimimal, if any shielding. Not a good way to be "educating" the masses about potentially lethal substances. And for a man with years of hazmat experience, those sequences were downright cringe.

 

[Nik H]

With all the talk of civil unrest and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer; I have been looking into "Gas Masks".

And like almost any other piece of equipment it stands to reason that I should get a good one. Therefore, thinking Full CBRN, NIOSH rated, full face mask etc. etc etc.

However, I wear glasses. Therefore I need some kind of insert for prescription glasses. Full shield as opposed to eye holes is a must.

What should I be looking at? Which canister types and attachment schemes. ie NATO 40mm or 5 lug 1/4turn whatever. What is best, easiest, cheapest, availablest?

The tinfoil ones work best

 

[308pirate]

The tinfoil ones work best

Holy shit, they're actually a thing

 

[308pirate]

With all the talk of civil unrest and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer; I have been looking into "Gas Masks".

And like almost any other piece of equipment it stands to reason that I should get a good one. Therefore, thinking Full CBRN, NIOSH rated, full face mask etc. etc etc.

However, I wear glasses. Therefore I need some kind of insert for prescription glasses. Full shield as opposed to eye holes is a must.

What should I be looking at? Which canister types and attachment schemes. ie NATO 40mm or 5 lug 1/4turn whatever. What is best, easiest, cheapest, availablest?

 

[FishDr]

I'm 5 miles from one of the last refineries in the US that uses HF acid to crack the lead in it's Alky unit.

No cure for that one except Morphine, you are going to die a horrible death.
Anything in a 25 mile radius is gone
A full MOP suit and mask will do nothing.
There is a shit ton more to it than buying something surplus and betting your life on it.

Some of the cold storage/ meat processing plants around here have 100's of thousands of pounds of liquid Ammonia on hand

Anhydrous or liquid? Makes a big difference in your potential treatment options.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

View attachment 7235702

"When she's a squirter"

 

[Ravenworks]

Anhydrous or liquid? Makes a big difference in your potential treatment options.

Liquid
Without getting into specifics I will say there are laser beams at ground level throughout the unit to monitor for leakage, there are many other systems in place as well.
The stuff we have is bad, all it wants to do is consume the calcium in your body.
We have very strict policies for PPE, there is no bare minimum, it's full Class A and fresh air, then 3 courses of decontamination.

 

[AIAW]

I pride myself on being able to show a pigheaded, almost retarded level of bravery when facing many situations...

However, hydrofluoric acid scares the living daylights out of me. Even more so than radiation or being trapped in a burning building with all egress blocked by flames. If there is a chemical that the devil himself had concocted, HF has to be it... And it amuses me that in Breaking Bad, the characters are all shown handling pretty large quantities of HF with mimimal, if any shielding. Not a good way to be "educating" the masses about potentially lethal substances. And for a man with years of hazmat experience, those sequences were downright cringe.

HF is definitely one of the worst compounds that any living thing could come in contact with.



There is one nastier that would be considered the "sleeper" of all substances. It happens to be one of the most (if not the most) toxic compounds know to man... LD50 of 3 ppm (that's right, 3 parts per million). Nickel tetracarbonyl.

 

[FishDr]

Liquid
Without getting into specifics I will say there are laser beams at ground level throughout the unit to monitor for leakage, there are many other systems in place as well.
The stuff we have is bad, all it wants to do is consume the calcium in your body.
We have very strict policies for PPE, there is no bare minimum, it's full Class A and fresh air, then 3 courses of decontamination.

Never know who you will meet on a forum. I’ll send you a PM.

 

[Blutroop]

Doing a turnaround in a alky 2 unit rumored to be the second most dangerous alky unit in the world after receiving very minimal training on h2s was the final push for me to join the military. I wanted dangers I could shoot back at over all the silent invisible killers. Then a unit I worked in blew up and killed a few scaffold builders (my job) and confirmed my decision..

 

[forrestgump01]

With all the talk of civil unrest and the Chinese weaponizing Mexican beer; I have been looking into "Gas Masks".

And like almost any other piece of equipment it stands to reason that I should get a good one. Therefore, thinking Full CBRN, NIOSH rated, full face mask etc. etc etc.

However, I wear glasses. Therefore I need some kind of insert for prescription glasses. Full shield as opposed to eye holes is a must.

What should I be looking at? Which canister types and attachment schemes. ie NATO 40mm or 5 lug 1/4turn whatever. What is best, easiest, cheapest, availablest?

This is what I would buy if your that set on buying one .
Now with that said I think these guys are trying to get you to understand it's not going to be as usefull as some people think ,
First off , are you always clean shaven ? not much use if you needed to dawn it in the next five minutes and you have facial hair.
Second , if you do dawn it , what's your plan. it should be used just long enough to get the hell out of whatever situation your in.
If you plan to dawn it and shelter then your already fucked and your prolonging the innevidable.
And then there's the whole decontamination thing that was stated previously. nothing wrong with you being prepared, it's just gonna take a lot more than a mask !

Your 2 best scenarios for needing a mask are gonna be.......
A- cs/tear gas
B- a bowl of chili and a sackful of Krystal hamburgers. (AKA - gut grenades).

MIRA Safety CM-6M Tactical Gas Mask - Full-Face Respirator for CBRN Defense

MIRA Safety’s CM-6M CBRN tactical gas mask protects your face, internal organs, and respiratory system against a full spectrum of toxic industrial chemicals.

bit.ly

 

[Corprin]

From what I remember from NBC now CBRN training....

Stop breathing.
Don and clear 7sec
Wait for the kicking-chicken to start.
Zap yourself with 2-PAM-Cl
Zap yourself with atropine
Continue mission for the next 2-8hrs till your dick falls off and you die from rapid onset liquid guts.

If we get to the point of a large scale CBRN attack on our soil, we are all toast anyway.

Best thing you can do is step away from the internet, close your twinstabook account, and enjoy the outdoors while you are still vertical.