Hey OP
Some years ago I purchased some Israel gas masks sealed. Haven't looked at them in couple years. Based on this information I am thinking I may need to discard them? Any help on this for me.
Thanks for the info OP
Quoting: Mukk1234 Typically... NBC filters for gas masks last at MOST 15 years. And that's stretching it. If they're just chemical filters you might be alright.
The gas mask itself should be fine, although I would use a banana to test the seal. If you put the mask on with a fresh filter, hold the unpeeled banana around the edges of the mask and breath. If you smell the banana, the mask isn't sealing properly (which is common for older masks.)
Bananas are one of the most recognizable and unique odors is why I'd suggest that.
However, if it's an old surplus mask, I would purchase new filters, or consider a new mask platform all together.
Filters are made with activated charcoal, and alwasy have been. They can't become toxic unless they were used in a toxic environment and became saturated. The m17 scare etc are just "Urban legends" and heresay
You're wrong. I work for the largest filter manufacturer in the world, filters are one thing I consider myself a near expert on.
Filters break down, and they become toxic. You're giving incorrect and dangerous advice.
No, you're wrong and have now conclusively proven you are a fraud
there is only one kind, for a certain specific use (can't remember off the top of my head) that uses anything but charcoal. the scary myths come from the real fact that WWII british filters did have asbestos in them but those were the only dangerous filters ever produced. The only way filters, which ARE made with activated charcoal, become toxic is from absorbing too many of the chemicals they are supposed to.
Google is your friend, you may want to use it a little more in depthly than the first site you come upon ( like the one you used to get your info about gas masks for, a site selling gasmasks and perpetuating the myth to make a sale)
"Safety of old gas masks
Gas masks have a limited useful lifespan that is related to the absorbent capacity of the filter. Once the filter has been saturated with hazardous chemicals, it ceases to provide protection and the user may be injured. Most gas masks use sealing caps over the air intake to prevent the filter from degrading before use, but the protective abilities also degrade as the filter ages or if it is exposed to moisture and heat. Very old unused gas mask filters from World War II may not be effective at all in protecting the user, and can potentially cause harm to the user due to long-term changes in the filter chemical composition.
World War II gas masks contained blue asbestos in their filters, and this material continued to be used until at least 1956. Breathing blue asbestos in the factories resulted in death from mesothelioma of 10% of workers, and between 2.5 and 3.2 times the normal incidence of lung or respiratory cancers.[1] Some of the gas masks known to contain asbestos are the British MK4 and MK5 respirators which were issued to the majority of the British army during World War II. Current advice is never to wear any gas mask of uncertain military origin.
Many scare stories have originated from various Russian gas masks and their filters that are now common in surplus stores; the GP-5 was often considered to have an asbestos filter, however like most cold-war masks it only contains activated charcoal.
Modern gas masks are quite safe and do not use asbestos, but it is still important to be careful when using a modern gas mask. Typically masks using 40mm connections are more recent design. Rubber also degrades with time so new in box "Modern type" masks can be cracked and leak."
[
link to en.wikipedia.org]
