Gas mask
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A gas mask is a mask worn over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic materials. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word gas mask is often used to refer to military equipment (e.g. Field Protective Mask, etc.) (The user of the gas mask is not protected by gas that the skin can absorb.)
Airborne toxic materials may be gaseous (for example the chlorine gas used in World War I) or particulate (such as many biological agents developed for weapons such as bacteria, viruses and toxins). Many gas masks include protection from both types. During riots where teargas or CS-gas is employed by riot police, gasmask are commonly used by police and rioters alike.
Aside from serving their functional purposes, gas masks are also used as emblems in heavy metal music, and by graffiti taggers because the mask protects them from the graffiti canister's noxious fumes. Also closely related is the eroticization of gas masks as a sexual fetish.
The traditional gas mask style with two small circular eye windows originated when the only suitable material for these eye windows was glass or perspex; as glass is notoriously brittle, glass eye windows had to be kept small and thick. Later, discovery of polycarbonate allowed gasmasks with a big fullface window, as in the image at this link.
Some have one or two filters attached to the facepiece: image. Some have a large filter connected to the facepiece by a hose: image.
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[edit] Principles of construction
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This article or section is missing information about: all types of gas mask construction. This concern has been noted on the talk page where it may be discussed whether or not to include such information. (March 2008) |
