Joel mentions gas masks on the site as well as within his books a few times, and I was ready to buy a few for my family, but then I ran into the following posting:
_______________________________________________
"What do you expect that this gas mask will do for you? They are not a
panacea or a miracle protection. Most military gas masks are designed to
defend against a specific type of threat for a specific period of time.
They have different filters that can be inserted to defend against specific
threats. Most of these inserts are 'active,' and have a rather short
shelf-life - they have to be removed from a sealed container and inserted
into the mask immediately prior to use, rather than just carried around
open. They tend not to work well against threats they were not designed to
protect against.
Most nerve agents are just as deadly on exposed skin as they are if inhaled.
Many biological and chemical agents have different physical properties,
including the size of the molecules. What is stopped by one type of filter
will pass right through another. And most gas mask inserts will stop
working after a relatively short period of exposure, as they become clogged
with the agent they are blocking.
Many agents do not have physical symptoms until hours after you've received
a lethal dose. You won't know you've been gassed until you begin to die,
and then of course, it is too late for anything but atropine injections or
high doses of specific types of antibiotics (maybe).
If carrying a gas mask gives you peace of mind, go for it. But as a former
US Marine with NBC training, I would suggest that it will not do you much
good in the event that you really need it. Most citizens without military
training do not know how to properly don, clear, and maintain a good seal
with a gas mask. You can't have a beard, or facial hair that extends beyond
the edge of the mask, or wear glasses, for example. Some people have
psychological reactions when wearing a mask - similar to claustrophobia.
May I suggest that you should try to relax a bit?"
_______________________________________________
I am just trying to make sense of all of this. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Tim
Better to have one than not to have one. But you don't want to spend money on just any gas mask. Do some comparison shopping first. On the home page at this web site, click on the link that says, "Preparing For A Biological Terror Attack." It's right below where it says "Strategic Threats." At the bio-terror tips page, in the gas mask paragraphs Joel rated the best, worst, and medium or OK gas masks. So that should give you a good idea of which ones to leave on the shelf and which ones to purchase and bring home.
I feel certain that if he thought gas masks were totally useless, he would not have advised his readers long ago to keep gas masks on hand for emergencies. He also said once that he never travels anywhere without keeping a dust mask in his car. Think how handy an inexpensive little dust mask would turn out to be if you had to suddenly leave your office and flee down flights of stairs like some survivors at the WTC did on 9-11 as they tried to rush out of the building.
Prepare for the extremes. You never know what you'll need or when something small could turn out to be something big that saves your life during a crisis.
http://www.josephprep.com/BioChemical/Articles/respiratory_protection.htm
I think the little portable gas mask is a good thing to have on hand. For instance this week I have been using several toxic chemicals in re-doing a floor. This helps to protect against such chemicals. I thought it was doing nothing at one point, took the mask off and nearly choked on the awful fumes. So even if a mask isn't perfect, in many situations it will prove helpful.
Susan
More on gas masks. The following is an excerpt I read at http://www.happycampnews.com/coast2coast/2001_09_30_archives.html
This is a partial summary of Joel’s interview with Barbara Simpson when he appeared on Coast To Coast in October 2001. Here’s what Joel had to say about gas masks.
Linda (from the web site mentioned above) wrote:
“According to Skousen, our country's best and most primary defense would be to spend 1 billion dollars and get every man, woman and child a gas mask like the citizens have in Israel, but he doesn’t think the government will do it . . .
His recommendations for biological or chemical attack: put a gas mask on and go to a rural area. Stop eating until you’re at a fasting diet. Get juices w/o sugars, raw foods, natural diet.. and then load up on vitamin C (natural, rosehips and bioflavinoids, 1000 mg/hour with fruit so you don’t get acidosis). Use garlic - raw is most effective... it comes out in the lungs. Echianacea, golden seal and olive seed extract... in a combo together. Herbal Healer Academy has good prices and Skousen recommends them. Also get collodial silver and tea tree oil . . .
Skousen says the gas mask is most important, and even comes in handy if there’s a house fire. He says he sleeps with one next to his bed. You can save your family better if you can breathe.
They are hard to get right now because of the terror attack, and if you're paying more than about $50 to $200 each, you're being price-gouged. Skousen says the best buy he has seen is a surplus Israeli civilian gas mask, but all the filters are out of date. They were seen on sale for $20 each and filters are only $7. They don’t do so well for biological attacks. You would need a filter for the USM95 mask for that, and it costs about $25. Avoid the Russian and East German gas masks because they aren’t reliable. Get a NATO screw-on filter. You need a smaller size for kids. His favorite is a Canadian B4 (or V4?) mask. BSK European mask, $130 + $25 for the filter, is very good. Every Israeli has a gas mask.
The probability of being hit by an attack is low but don’t be complacent. Social unrest and panic is the greater threat. Relocation and contingency planning are important. Nothing beats having an armed citizenry in the face of terrorism.
Nuclear weapons... in suitcases... most countries don’t have them. Only China and Russian can put a weapon up high enough to take down the grid, according to Skousen."
Read about more of Joel's preparedness tips and see more topics that were discussed in Joel’s Oct. 2001 interview with Barbara Simpson at Linda’s Coast To Coast Web Log:
http://www.happycampnews.com/coast2coast/2001_09_30_archives.html
From the WCLT Radio web site, Feb. 27, 2003:
Retired Army veteran Edward McDonald penned the following letter - regarding the use of gas masks by people who are untrained…
To The Editor: It is a shame that the current terrorism alerts bring out the fear factor, and misleading advertisements to the general public concerning "gas masks," which are called protective masks by the US Military. From my research, it is evident that the sellers of this merchandise elect not to tell the buyers of the potential hazards and proper procedures for wearing one. There are certain steps that must be followed prior to putting on a protective mask: the first is to stop breathing. A protective mask will not protect you if the seal of the mask is leaking. The mask must be kept dry, and clean. The filter elements will not work if they are damp. All elements of the mask are to be kept clean. Not all filter elements offer the same protection for nuclear, biological, or chemical dispersants. There are steps that need to be taken prior to and during the wearing of the mask. Do you wear contacts? Not with a mask! There are optical inserts specifically made for the wearer. Take a drink of water using the equipment supplied with the mask? For masks used by the US Military, you must have an M1 canteen cap. There are other associated parts that make up the protective design of the masks: a hood, MOPP gear, a winterization kit for the mask, lubrication and maintenance procedures. Then you have a waterproof bag for the mask; a decontamination kit; paper chemical agent detector; four types of cleaning brushes; cheesecloth; rubbing alcohol; a utility pail; plastic liquid polish, and toilet soap (unmedicated). Got a beard? shave it off! Wear hairpins, combs, hair knots, buns, or braids? Not with the mask - they will interfere with the sealing process. There are just too many procedures involved for me to list all of them. I think that the sellers should offer classes to the buyers of this merchandise. Or, perhaps we may be able to find some well trained soldiers who can teach the public how to wear and take care of the protective mask.
(end of McDonald letter)
Like many of you, I don’t feel 100% confident about how to wear my gas mask either. Better to be a “have” than a “have-not” regarding keeping emergency supplies on hand, though. My attitude is, if a crisis erupts, I’ll figure out whatever I need to do on the spot. True, it’s always best to prepare and know how to do everything correctly in advance. However, when in doubt, it’s still better to have what you need right there with you than to not have it and wish you did or to wait until everyone wants it and stores are sold out of the product. In the meantime, I study and try to memorize preparedness tips like the ones found at this web site.