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Posted: 8/23/2010 1:42:35 PM EDT
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Where do you get a quality one? How much do they cost? How about a new filter? How long do the filters last? I'm looking to get one for my EOTWAWKI kit. Thanks. :) |
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Not to sh*t in your thread, but there's more to surviving an NBC - excuse me, my age is showing - a CBRNE incident - than just having a respirator and MOPP suit.
What's your intended goal? What kind of detection equipment do you have? What kind of decontamination equipment do you have? These are just a few of the questions I'm sure you'll get peppered with, so get ready. 
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I agree with Tango7. A good gas mask will run you $150-300, new fitlers are $40-80 a piece depending on which types you buy. You don't want to go with the stupid surplus gasmasks that you see in Cheaperthandirt, etc because they are almost useless. Gas masks usually have a 10-20 year shelf life on the mask gaskets and filters depending on the brand and how they are stored. A mask alone only protects you against certain threats like anthrax, CS, mace, and other airborne particles. However, VX gas, and other nerve agents can eat through a filter very quickly, so you need to have properly clothing, decontamination showers, radiation detectors, etc to make sure you are safe. Otherwise you will just get exposed when you change your clothes, or the filter gets eaten through, or the suit gets eaten thorugh by the agents.
You have to drink at some point, you have to eat, bathe, etc. So you need to have everything in place to make this all work out. Otherwise you will just delay your death until whatever was released eats through the filters or suit you have and then you will die anyway. Do a google search on MSA gas masks. They are pricey, but if you get a decent CBRN mask, suit, gloves, etc, that is one less thing you will need for your kit. |
Yikes. Well, I'm thinking for the less lethal kinds of threats... Not the kind of stuff that would eat through your skin without a full suit... I wasn't intending on wearing a complete hazard suit getup. I'm kind of imagining that if that happened I'd be screwed anyway.  Is it not worth getting if I don't intend to go full-on with the whole hazard suit? |
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Quoted:
Where do you get a quality one? How much do they cost? How about a new filter? How long do the filters last? I'm looking to get one for my EOTWAWKI kit. Thanks. :) For a quality one you'll need a few hundred $$$, look online. If your life isn't worth "new" you can get them for $5 and up at surplus stores, just don't expect much. filters depend on what agents they protect againest, price varies based on mask type/make/age. $5 up to $40-$50 depending on if you want them to work or not. Open/ out of the factory vac. packed tuna cans or foil bags less then 30 days. completely sealed air tight in factory packaging 5-7 years, maybe a few more. If the filters are not sealed air tight, not just seals on the threads and inlet, but in vac. packed bags / cans skip them. It's the charcole that does the work, open after 30 days the charcole has degreaded to the point it won't absorb anything. Not all filters are the same, not all protect from all agents. some can be made for riot agents (tear gases) / training only, "Combat rated" filters are going to be harder to come by and more $$. Stick with external filters, 40mm is standard. DON'T get the type of mask that uses filters biult into the cheeks = death traps. Military style masks are not going to protect from commerical chemical spills for the real nasty stuff, you'll need full on air tanks and all for that. I.E. train / truck crashes / chemical plant fire / explosion. Neither will they protect from smoke from fires. Even high end fresh military filters can last as little as 15 min. in some cases, so you're going to need more then one. What do you expect to need them for? somking weed = ok for cheap mil surplus $5 to $10 and your GTG tear gas = see above, but maybe spend a tad more, yeah I know it will kill your weed budget. real nasty evil military stuff = $100's of worth of gear, not the least of which is your mask really nasty chemical spills = add more $$$$ for self-contained breathing tank, suit & mask. If you've had no NBC/CBR training well good luck. And spend your money elsewhere, it will be better spent. what are your plans for it? fun? Military type bio/chem agents? chemical spills? tear gas? smoke? simple protection from illness/sick people? (simple here as any industrual safety supply house will have simple month/nose masks that will stop most of those for $5 ea for disposable ones.) that and some tyvek coveralls w/hood and that will be what 90%+ will only need. |
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