What are gas masks?
Gas masks are firmly fitting equipment designed to protect the wearer from exposing dangerous air bacteria, viruses, chemicals and evaporated poisons. Most gas masks seal the bearer's nose and mouth to protect the airways, but some models include protective eye glasses and full hood. Gas masks must not be confused with oxygen masks or diving masks that import fresh air from a closed tank. Gas masks filter outer air as exists, without adding fresh breathable gases. Soldiers exposed to air poisons would often urinate on the fabric and cover their mouths and noses. Ammonia in urine would chemically neutralize chlorine gases commonly used on the battlefield during the First World War. Another improvement of the gas masks produced or neutralize more advanced nervous substances such as the burning gas, but the use of a chemical war disappeared considerably at the beginning of World War II. Once the battlefield is secured, the soldiers would routinely drop their gasmasks.
gas masks protect the wearer with three separate methods. Many pollutants have particles larger than oxygen and nitrogen atoms, so the first line of defense is filtration. Most gas masks use a removable filter with an extremely fine eye to physical blocking incoming particles such as smoke or viral powders. The main problem with such a filter system is that any network is tight enough to block microscopic particles, also reduce clean air flow. The wearer may not feel that there is quite breathable air with the filter in place.
Another means of cleaning air in gas masks is absorption. Evapored liquid poisons and bacteria can be pulled away from the airway of the user of chemicals such as active carbon. These absorbent chemicals can be held in the canister under the respiratory chamber or impregnated in the filter. The main disadvantage of the absorptionThe methods are a limited number of toxic gases that would be attracted by chemicals. These types of gas masks would be the most useful in a factory environment where a pollutant was a known entity.
The latest method of cleaning the air used in gas masks is chemical neutralization. This is what soldiers in the First World War did with their domestic masks of ammonia. Kaks containing a chemical or gas is connected to the front plate and vapors interact with the incoming poison, causing chemically neutral or at least harmless for breathing. This method is extensively used in situations where chemical war is possible. The main disadvantage is a somewhat unpleasant atmosphere created by a neutralization agent.
Gas masks are available to the general public through the medical offer of Stores, military excess operations and specialized sellers. Workers who can be exposed to dangerous vapors are asked to wear some form of gas mask, abY protected their respiratory systems. However, for long -term exposure situations, a separate respiratory system with fresh air supply may be more useful.