Turning point of the gas mask
The gas mask was a turning point because it saved a lot of lives and with out gas masks we still might be using gasses today.
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History and development of the gas mask
A primitive respirator to be used by miners was introduced by Alexander von Humboldt already in 1799, when he worked as a mining engineer in Prussia.
A primitive respirator to be used by miners was introduced by Alexander von Humboldt already in 1799, when he worked as a mining engineer in Prussia.
The first use of poison gas on the Western Front was on 22 April 1915, by the Germans at Ypres, against Canadian and French colonial troops. The initial response was to equip troops with cotton mouth pads for protection. Soon afterwards the British added a long cloth which was used to tie chemical soaked mouth pads into place, and which was called the Black Veil Respirator. Dr. Cluny MacPherson of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment brought the idea of a mask made of chemical absorbing fabric and which fitted over the entire head to England, and this was developed into the British Hypo Helmet of June 1915. This primitive type of mask went through several stages of development before being superseded in 1916 by the canister gas mask of 1916. This had a mask connected to a tin can containing the absorbent materials by a hose.
In 1849, Lewis P. Haslett patented an "Inhaler or Lung Protector," the first U.S. patent issued for an air purifying respirator. Haslett's device filtered dust from the air. In 1854, Scottish chemist John Stenhouse invented a simple mask that used charcoal to filter noxious gases. gas masks are used by construction workers, chemical industry workers, at one time even civilians, and even the police. Graffiti taggers also use gas masks to protect them from the toxic fumes of their canisters. Gas masks are also an emblem in industrial music.
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Gas masks are not new to the military and were first employed en masse during the First World War to protect soldiers from gas attacks. Toxic gases were seen as a way to bring an end to the stalemate on the Western Front. The predominant chemical agents then used were mustard gas (a blister agent) and chlorine gas (a choking agent) and it is calculated that over 100,000 soldiers died and many thousands more injured and blinded in gas attacks on both sides.
In 1915, American chemist and inventor credited with the invention of the gas mask James Bert Garner read a newspaper article describing a gas attack on British forces which he hypothesized had employed chlorine gas. Remembering experiments he had performed while teaching at the University of Chicago, he set about creating the first gas mask which he tested on two of his associates in a gas filled chamber. Following the successful completion of the test, he provided the results to the British government.
Gas masks development since has mirrored the development of chemical agents in warfare, filling the need to protect against ever more deadly threats, biological weapons, and radioactive dust in the nuclear era. However, where agents that cause harm through contact or penetration of the skin occurs, such as blister agent or nerve agent, a gas mask alone is not sufficient protection, and full protective clothing must be worn in addition, to protect from contact with the atmosphere. for protection some people would buy gas mask to protect against the harmful effects of an attack with nuclear, biological, or chemical agents.
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Most military gas masks are designed to protection against spectrum of NBC agents, they can be coupled with filter canisters that are proof against those agents or just against riot control agents and smoke likewise there are lightweight masks for use in riot control agents and not for NBC situations.
Training and the availability of gas masks and other protective equipment can render the casualty-causing effects of an attack by chemical agents nullified. Troops who are forced to operate in full protective gear are less effective in completing their given tasks. They would tire easy and may be affected psychologically by the threat of attack by these weapons. During the Cold War it was seen as inevitable that there would be a constant NBC threat on the battlefield, and so troops needed protection in which they could remain fully functional so protective gear, and especially gas masks have evolved to incorporate innovations in terms of increasing user-comfort, and in compatibility with other equipment (from drinking devices to artificial respiration tubes, to communications systems. The gas mask has now arrived at a 'fourth generation' of development. Despite the uncomfortable mouthpiece and nose clip of the British S.B.R., the U.S. Army decided this type of mask provided the best protection. The initial attempt in June 1917 to copy the mask was completed by the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior and was not a success. The next attempt was the Training Mask in July 1917, which used an extra large canister of charcoal and soda-lime. Over 600,000 of the masks were manufactured and used only for training in the United States.
Gas masks were issued to all British civilians at the start of World War two. There was a very real fear in Britain that Nazi German bombers would drop poison gas bombs. So, all civilians were issued with gas masks. The bombing of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War had shown what could happen when bombers got through. The government had planned for tens of thousands of deaths in London alone. An advisor to the government Liddell Hart told the government to expect 250,000 deaths in the first week of the war alone.
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When the war started some citizens had not been issued with a gas mask. In a government document "If war should come" (issued to people in July 1939), the explanation for this was that district leaders might have decided to keep gas masks in storage until they decided that an emergency situation had developed. However, the public was told to tell their local Air Raid Warden if they had not been issued with a gas mask and neighbors had. It was the responsibility of air raid wardens to ensure that everybody had been issued with a gas mask.
Dogs
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Dogs have been used in the police force and in the armed forces from centuries. They are smart and loyal and braver than a lot of people. But at times they will have to go to places that may not be the safest. At times, the air can have toxic gases and other pollutants that can harm the animal. This necessitated the invention of dog masks. They have been popular since they came into use and are still used. A lot of models have been designed so far. Initially, the models looked very uncomfortable and tight but better technology has been used to make dog masks more effective and comfortable for the animal it is put on. The masks are designed such that the dog can see through it easily and it will have to be fitted for every dog so they have different sizes.
Kids
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The children gas mask was made with bright colors so that children would not be frightened to wear it. The baby gas mask would have totally enclosed the baby and air would be pumped in with a hand pump.
Gasses
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People thing that the germans were the first to use gas in ww1 but it was deployed by the french. in the first month of the war the french used tear gas grenades against the germans. But the germans were the first to deploy it in a larger scale. In October 1914 the germans fired shells at the french witch contained irritant witch resulted in violent fits of sneezing. Three months later tear gas was deployed by the germans for the first time on the aster front. The types of protection handed out to the troops around Ypres following the first use of chlorine in April 1915 were primitive in the extreme. 100,000 wads of cotton pads were quickly manufactured and made available. These were dipped in a solution of bicarbonate of soda and held over the face. soldiers were told that holding a urine drenched cloth over their face will serve in an emergency to protect against the effects of chlorine. By 1918 soldiers on both sides were far better prepared to meet the ever-present threat of a gas attack. Filter respirators using charcoal or antidote chemicals were the norm and proved highly effective, although working in a trench while wearing such respirators generally proved difficult and tiring.
Corrected english (c.e.) mask
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In October 1918, the best aspects of the Akron Tissot and Kops Tissot Masks were combined to create the K.T.M. Mask. It had a stockinet covered rubber facepiece and used a new canister that added felt as a filter against toxic smoke particles. This was perhaps the best mask developed during the war although only 2,000 were produced prior to the armistice on November 11, 1918.
Richardson Flory Kops (R.F.K.) Mask
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Continued improvements to the C.E. Mask resulted in the R.F.K. Mask introduced in early 1918. The facepiece was cotton fabric coated with rubber. The canister was reduced in size, which created less breathing resistance. An it was more comfortable to wear, the mask was also much easier to make. Over 3 million of these masks were produced during the war.
Akron Tissot (A.T.) Mask
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This mask was designed by the Akron Rubber Company on June 1918 and used a French design that eliminated the uncomfortable mouthpiece and nose clip of the S.B.R. masks. Instead, the incoming air was directed over the eyepieces, which helped prevent fogging. The face piece was made of molded rubber covered with stockinet. The canister was the same as the one used on the R.F.K. Mask. The mask provided a lot more comfort, but was harder to make, so only 197,000 were made during the war.
Kops Tissot (K.T.) Mask
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This mask was similar to the Akron Tissot Mask and copied the French design of directing incoming air over the eyepieces. The face piece was made of vulcanized fabric and used the same canister as the R.F.K. Mask. Because it also was hard to manufacture, only 337,000 were made starting in September 1918.
Kops Tissot Monro (K.T.M.) Mask
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In October 1918, the best aspects of the Akron Tissot and Kops Tissot Masks were combined to create the K.T.M. Mask. It had a stockinet covered rubber facepiece and used a new canister that added felt as a filter against toxic smoke particles. This was perhaps the best mask developed during the war although only 2,000 were produced prior to the armistice on November 11, 1918.