The first gas mask. The main historical facts of the invention of the world's first gas masks. Gas mask BS-T4: design features

Gas masks of the USSR are one of the most popular types of Soviet-made military and army products. Mostly, people who collect military antiques show interest in acquiring them. In the online store "Derzhava" you can buy a BS-T4 gas mask in a complete set. Finding such products in our time is not easy, because even in the plans for 1941 the task was to replace part of the military equipment. In particular, gas masks of the Red Army model BS-T4 were to be assembled and sent to warehouses, and instead they were ordered to use more advanced updated products.

In addition, please note that the USSR gas masks with the abbreviation BS belonged to the category of combat secret, which makes this model even rarer, and therefore interesting for connoisseurs of personal protective equipment from the times of the Second World War.

Gas mask BS-T4: design features

The BS-T4 gas mask model was first adopted by the Red Army in 1935. It is characterized by the following features:

• the presence of an inhalation valve under the neck, which made it possible to use a gas mask with new masks;
• at the bottom of the BS-T4 filter if there is a mesh, the presence of which contributes to a better intake of air masses from the outside;
• compatibility of the BS-T4 gas mask with the upgraded O-8 mask, which has large-diameter glasses, a thickened front part and a blowing tube used for the first time, which reduces the degree of fogging of the glasses.

Later, BS-T4 was replaced by other gas masks of the Red Army, which were supplemented by more modern systems filtration, as well as ergonomic bags that allowed not only to store and carry personal protective equipment, but also to quickly get gas masks in case of urgent need.

Gas masks of the USSR: features of care

Undoubtedly, individual means protection of the Red Army, with such a long history, in without fail require care. Save the BS-T4 gas mask from the times of the USSR in proper condition not so difficult. To do this, you need to take the following measures:

• exclude impacts and other dynamic effects on the surface of the product;
• periodically purge or flush the exhalation valves of the gas mask;
• store BS-T4 in a dry, warm room under relatively constant conditions environment;
• use the bag only for storing the gas mask of the Red Army, do not put foreign objects in it, especially sharp ones.

Why should you buy USSR gas masks from us?

The customers of the military antiques online store are provided with a number of guarantees, including:

• high quality and excellent condition of the BS-T4 gas mask, produced according to GOST for the Red Army;
• optimal prices for unique products;
• the ability to quickly and easily place an order for BS-T4.

Do you want to become the owner of a combat secret T4 gas mask? Don't miss the opportunity to buy the latest model we have in stock. For questions about placing an order, as well as to clarify the terms of delivery, please contact our managers.

The gas mask was needed during the fighting in the First World War, which began in 1914, when the Germans began to use gas attacks with phosgene. It was after her that the production of anti-gas agents began. Let's try to figure out who invented the gas mask first.

Great Inventors

When the first gas attack occurred, it was mistaken for an ordinary smoke screen. During the fighting, many soldiers were killed. One of the regiments that fell into the green cloud of phosgene was almost completely destroyed. From that moment on, in Russian laboratories, scientists began a flurry of activity in the manufacture of protective equipment against gas.

Initially, the army was supplied with cotton-gauze bandages moistened with water.

Information about what kind of gas the enemy was using was not available, so scientists made many mistakes in the course of their activities. The professors suggested that the Germans could use 3 types of volatile substances:

• chlorine;
• phosgene;
• hydrocyanic acid.

In more detail about why there was a need for a means to protect the lungs, a thematic video will briefly tell.

It was Russian scientists who played a big role in the invention of the gas mask. In 1915, the chemist N. Zelinsky worked in the Petrograd Central Laboratory of the Ministry of Finance, where the idea came to him to use coal to protect light soldiers from gases. His activities were associated with the production of alcohol, in which coal was used to clean fusel oils. During the tests, it was found that this breed has the ability to absorb volatile toxic compounds.

Sanatorium "Uzkoe" (1934). USSR scientists.
From left to right: sitting N. D. Zelinsky, I. A. Kablukov, N. M. Kizhner, A. N. Severtsov; stand N. N. Luzin, M. N. Rozanov and V. I. Vernadsky.

Initially, the carbon filter was placed between layers of gauze bandages that were worn by people in the test room. Good results could be achieved only with full fit of respirators, with tightness.

As soon as all the experiments were carried out, Zelinsky made a report on his invention to the General Staff, where it was decided to urgently begin production of the first protective equipment.

The first gas mask had a rectangular shape, with a rubber hose soldered into the upper part of the neck and a device for cleaning glasses. The type of breathing in it was pendulum. Such a remedy could be worn on the side and quickly activated. Zelinsky's gas mask was patented only in 1916.

The picture shows a prototype of Zelinsky's gas mask.

For more information, you can watch a video with an excerpt from a science film about Zelinsky and his invention.

Innovation from Lewis Haslett

The history of the gas mask is complex and confusing. There is an opinion that attempts to make it were made as early as the 17th century, when the plague was raging. The inventions of Lewis Haslett are considered the first patented means of protection against toxic impurities in the air. His device was recognized in 1849 and was called the "lung protector".

Civilian filtering gas mask GP-7

From the point of view of chronology, the first modern gas mask GP-7 was developed by an American scientist. A felt block was used as a filter. Breathing was done through valves. A means of protection was attached to the nasal passages or mouth. The active development of further technologies to ensure the protection of the respiratory system began during the First World War.

Invented by Garrett Morgan

G. Morgan is a self-taught scientist who was engaged in activities aimed at ensuring order in society and protecting health in production. The appearance of a gas mask is associated with the desire to provide normal working conditions for firefighters who enter smoky premises. His brainchild was patented in 1912 under the name "breathing device", otherwise it was called Morgan's helmet. In the future, the device will be used during the hostilities of the First World War.

The composition of the device at the time of registration was as follows:

• a hood located above the crown;
• a tube that reaches the ground, attached to the hood;
• an exhaust valve for removing carbon dioxide exhaled by a person.

The end of the tube was treated with an absorbent material that did not allow poisonous gas to pass through. During research, Morgan found out that burning and smoke rises, and below, near the floor, a layer of clean air remains.

Mistakes of scientists in the course of scientific activity

Before gas masks began to appear that could really protect the lungs from suffocating fumes, soldiers during combat clashes needed to somehow protect their airways, so the General Staff decided to start mass production gauze bandages.

The main mistake of Russian scientists is impregnating masks with hyposulfite without using soda. The German invaders used chlorine vapor to attack the Russian front. As a result of the reaction of chlorine and hyposulfite, hydrochloric acid was formed, which corroded the lungs when inhaled.

Only towards the end of 1915 did it become known that the Germans were using phosgene together with chlorine. By this time, the troops of our country were supplied with wet bandages. There was a message that the Moscow Institute has a mask impregnation agent containing urotropin. The discovery was made by Butlerov back in 1860.

After successful tests, Russia began to produce urotropine in large quantities. Fortunately for our soldiers, suggestions about the use of hydrocyanic acid as a poison gas did not materialize.

Since the First World War, more than 15 million units of gas masks have been produced. This is without taking into account special protective equipment for civilians and animals that participated in hostilities.

To understand who developed the first apparatus for protecting the lungs, humanity has not yet succeeded. Only one thing is clear, that it was not Zelinsky, as most sources claim. He owns an innovative approach to the choice of filtration system. Lewis Haslett is considered the inventor of the modern gas mask. His device was ineffective during combat with the use of chemical means, therefore, it required improvement.

During the war, lung machines for dogs and horses were actively used. Dogs tend to be more loyal to putting on such a device. For horses, several types of gas masks were used. One of these devices looked like a trapezoid bag and allowed the animal to stay in the affected area for up to 4 hours, while the dog could be present on the battlefield for up to 8 hours.

It is rather difficult to say when the gas mask was invented. For the first time, they began to use the semblance of a modern protective special equipment in the mines of Persia in the 9th century. In the Russian Empire, glass caps with a hose began to be used in 1838 when gilding the domes of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg. However, the device could not save the life of the masters, because the data on the absorption of chemicals through the skin were not taken into account. As a result of this oversight, 60 people died.

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Who invented the gas mask? What influenced the invention of the gas mask in Russia

It is still not known who invented the gas mask. There is no consensus on this issue. Their primitive prototypes were used as far back as the Middle Ages, when doctors used special masks with long noses. Medicinal herbs were placed in them. Doctors believed that this could protect them from the plague and other epidemics. More seriously, the creation of a gas mask was undertaken in the late nineteenth - early twentieth century. It was connected not with medicine, but with military affairs.

Briefly about gas masks

Before you find out who invented the gas mask, you should clarify what it is. This remedy protects the respiratory organs, as well as the eyes and skin.

There are two types:

1. Filtering - protects against certain toxic substances. The current, who wears it, breathes air from the environment, which passes through the filter.
2. Isolating - provides a person with air from a container filled with a limited amount of oxygen.

The invention of gas masks was associated with the emergence of a new type of weapon - poisonous gas. It is quite difficult to determine in which year the gas mask was invented, since different scientists around the world were working on this device at the same time.

Invented by Lewis Haslett

Who invented the gas mask? In terms of chronology, the first device that belongs to modern gas masks was invented in 1847. Its author was the American Lewis Haslett.

A patent was granted for an invention called "Lung Protector". It included a block and a felt filter. The block was equipped with valves to inhale and exhale. It could be attached to the mouth or nose.

However, during the First World War, a more reliable means of protecting soldiers was required. When the Germans began to carry out gas attacks, scientists began work on improving the existing gas mask.

Who invented the filter gas mask for World War I soldiers?

Invention of Nikolai Zelinsky

IN Russian troops during a gas attack, soldiers protected their respiratory organs with gauze bandage impregnated with a special agent. There was no benefit from such protection. It was necessary to create an effective means of protection.

Russian chemist Zelinsky decided to use coal as a filter. As a result of experiments, he came to the conclusion that birch charcoal, which has undergone heat treatment, absorbs poisonous substances best.

Zelinsky's idea was brought to life by the engineer Kummant. He made a rubber mask that fits snugly to the face. Air entered the respiratory tract through the filter element. The device was created in a few months. The first batch of gas masks was sent to the army in 1916. In total, during the war, about eleven million gas masks were made for the Entente army.

However, Haslett and Zelinsky were not the only ones to invent the gas mask. They were among those who worked on the universal problem. It consisted in protecting the respiratory organs from smoke or toxic fumes.

Gas masks by other inventors

There is information about inventions in other regions long before the advent of Zelinsky's device and even Haslett's.

Examples of inventions:

• In 1871, the Irish physicist John Tundalls created a respirator that protected the respiratory system from smoke and toxic fumes that are released during a fire.
• In 1891, Bernhard Lobs created a respirator that consisted of a metal container. It was divided into three chambers.
• In 1901, a respirator appeared that completely covered the head. The air passed through a carbon filter.
• In 1912, Garrett Morgan created a device to protect firefighters and engineers who had to work in a highly concentrated environment. toxic substances. The inventor is originally from the USA.
• Another design of a gas mask in the United States was presented by the inventor Alexander Drager, who was a native of Germany. He patented his device in 1914.

It is difficult to say in which country the gas mask was invented. It was created both in the USA and in Russia. However, the Zelinsky apparatus became the most common during the First World War. It was implemented not only in Russia, but also in England and Germany. The device was recognized all over the world, but the Russian scientist did not earn anything on this.

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by whom, when and how was it created?

The first mention of means that protect the respiratory organs from the effects of toxic substances appeared several centuries ago. Now such devices are called a gas mask, and have an extensive classification. They can be used in practice both individually and in combination with other protective equipment.

From the existing history of the development of a gas mask, it is difficult to single out the true first creator of the prototype that was incorporated into the modern device. It is only known that scientists have been thinking about creating such protective equipment for a long time, even before the military threat of poisoning with chemical and nuclear materials arose.

History and first mentions

In the Middle Ages, during the raging plague, people helping with the sick and healers tried to protect themselves with masks with an elongated nose, similar to a bird's beak. Moreover, this "beak" was densely filled with special medicinal herbs. The healers believed that the air passing through such a kind of herbal filter was purified, and the risk of infection was reduced.

At the beginning of the 19th century, during the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, workers who covered the domes with a gilded composition protected themselves from harmful fumes with the help of home-made glass caps. Air hoses were inserted into them through a small hole.

The first gas mask, similar in design to the modern version, was invented by the American scientist - inventor Lewis Haslett, in 1847. Then it was an extremely unique apparatus, which included a felt filter. Its purpose was to delay all substances hazardous to human health.

Subsequently, this gas mask tried to improve. They changed filters, designs, but such a device only helped to retain dust, small building particles or harmful industrial impurities. He was not able to provide full protection of the human respiratory system from asphyxiating gases. In 1849, Haslett patented his invention under the name "lung protector".

In order to protect firefighters from poisonous combustible substances, US citizen Garrett Morgan in 1912 came up with a device that historians consider to be the first modern gas mask. After 2 years in Germany, the inventor A. Drager created and patented his version of the gas mask.

The most active issue of developing a more advanced protective agent began to be dealt with after a chemical attack carried out by the Germans in May 1915. Then, at the time of the release of poisonous substances, a little more than 8 thousand soldiers died, in the next few days another 2 thousand people died.

It was then that the great minds of Soviet science began to develop a tool that could withstand various toxic and poisonous gaseous substances.

At that time, Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg was responsible for the evacuation and sanitary situation in the military unit, whose main merit was the opening of the Institute of Experimental Medicine in the northern capital. He instructed the chemist V.N. Ipatiev to search for effective measures to counteract the effects of gases.

In addition, A.P. Oldenburgsky turned to various women's societies in monasteries, gymnasiums with a request to start creating home-made dressings from gauze material. Each of these organizations designed their own type of masks and began mass production. At first, there were no regulatory bodies, since there was no consensus on how this mask should look like, and what materials should be used.

A big breakthrough in this area was given by the invention of Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky, a well-known Russian and Soviet organic chemist, one of the founders of organic catalysis. At the beginning of the 20th century, he was in charge of the St. Petersburg scientific laboratory of the Ministry of Finance. There he came to the decision - to use ordinary coal to filter the air. Having carried out various experiments in which N. Zelensky used different types of raw coal, he proved that this type of mineral is really capable of not only retaining, but also absorbing gases dangerous to human health.

The scientist achieved the best results when using coal, which was subjected to repeated firing. It's called "activated". All initial tests were carried out in a specially designated room of the Ministry of Finance.

Their essence was as follows: in an isolated room, the concentration of sulfur dioxide was brought to a dangerous level, then people were let in, having previously put on gauze masks. They had several layers, between which processed and crushed coal was placed. The best result was achieved when the homemade masks correctly and tightly wrapped around the lower part of the subject's face.

About his achievements N.D. Zelensky reports at an emergency meeting of a specially created commission for protection against gas attacks in St. Petersburg. Subsequently, he makes a report on the experiment in Moscow. The members of the commission decide to start the production of gas masks based on coal, especially since there was no shortage of this type of mineral on the territory of Russia.

This device was a rectangular box, in the upper part of which a rubber helmet was inserted. In the box itself there were meshes thinly made of metal, arranged in layers. Between them, they placed coal, made according to the method of the chemist N. Zelinsky.

Inhalation and exhalation were carried out only through a special filter. The device itself was supposed to be worn on the side of the neck, so it was quickly brought into an active position.

In the winter of 1915, it was found that the filter produced in this way is the best protective agent against the aggressive effects of gases. The following year, a similar invention was presented to the royal court. However, in mass quantities, gas masks did not begin to be produced.

Only in the spring of 1916, under pressure from the General Staff, bypassing the committee on chemical protection, N.D. Zelensky received an order for the manufacture and production of 200,000 gas masks with a carbon filter. For this, furnaces of gas factories and wine warehouses were involved.

This is how the history of the gas mask looks briefly, but before achieving the necessary and effective results, there were quite a few errors and incorrect calculations.

Work on bugs

When creating the first composition for the impregnation of gauze bandages, a chemical error was made, which made the use of the mask extremely dangerous. Primary samples were treated with hyposulfite, which, reacting with chlorine, formed sulfuric acid. It, when interacting with oxygen, led to the appearance of toxic sulfur dioxide. When breathing, it entered the human body, and led to suffocation, impaired speech function, and even pulmonary edema.

In addition, this impregnation option did not at all protect against phosgene, which was used by German troops to fight the enemy. An urgent search began for a substance capable of neutralizing the action of phosgene. Urotropin, obtained by the chemist A.M., turned out to be such a tool. Butlerov in 1859. It was used in the medical field.

The history of the creation of a gas mask using urotropine has led to the creation of a new type of gas masks - GP-7, which is now used to protect against ammonia and other hazardous chemicals.

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description, characteristics, history of creation and reviews

The beginning of the use of "stink bombs" or chemical weapons in hostilities is associated with the German attack near Ypres in 1915. Then 170 tons of chlorine were released, up to 15 thousand people suffered, about 5 thousand soldiers of the French army died. The invention of a universal means of protection against chemical weapons, which rightfully belongs to Russia, is also connected with the First World War. This is Zelinsky's gas mask. The operating principle and birch activated charcoal have been protecting a generation of Russian soldiers and continue to save lives not only in war, but also in peacetime.

Priority issues

Questions of historical heritage and pioneering are open today. After all, the professor and inventor of the gas mask Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky (1861 - 1953) considered it immoral to protect a patent for his invention, because it was he who developed the method of spraying chloropicrin, one of the poisonous substances of the imperialist war. And if in the middle of the 20th century the question of the primacy of the gas mask behind the Russian invention (Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask ) was purely ideological, today it has acquired academic significance. And whether to consider the Venetian suit against the plague as a prototype of a gas mask is a purely rhetorical question.

History of defense: military and peaceful

There is evidence that the miners of ancient Greece used filter masks made from dried herbs. Arab brothers Banu Musa, prominent scientists of Baghdad of the 4th century, to prevent poisoning of workers when digging wells. invented technical device very similar to a gas mask. It was a stitched mask, with the possibility of replacing the filter. And although the filter materials were also made from dried herbs, they were quite similar to modern chemical defenses.

In the Middle Ages, with the advent of general plague epidemics and the development of the doctrine of miasma (a substance hostile to humans) and contagia (poisonous particles transmitted through the skin and through breathing), a Venetian anti-plague kit appeared. This is a cloak and gloves soaked in tar, and a “beak”, inside of which there were vegetable filters.

In 1799, Alexander von Humboldt's gas mask appeared, designed to filter and purify mine gases and protect miners.

But the first patent for a gas mask was issued to Lewis Haslett in 1849 in Kentucky, USA. The device was intended for miners, a dense woolen cloth served as a filter, and valve breathing was provided.

When gilding the domes of St. Isaac's Cathedral in 1838 in St. Petersburg, 60 craftsmen died, they were not saved by gas masks. They were made of glass with a hose and were supposed to be protected from mercury vapor. But the design was not hermetic, which caused the poisoning of workers.

Coal as an adsorbent

John Stenhaus in 1854 invented a respirator in which charcoal became the main adsorbent. It was a two-layer mask, between the layers of which there was a sorbent - charcoal powder.

An associate of Mikhail Lomonosov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Johann Tobias Lovitz proposed the use of birch charcoal for water purification and protection against rotting meat.

Zelinsky's merit is that he was the first to use activated carbon as an absorber - coal with an increased adsorption capacity. Specially prepared coal has up to 1500 sq. meters of porous surface per 1 cubic centimeter.

Adsorbent plus tightness equals Zelinsky's gas mask

The history of the creation of this chemical protection means is connected with another name, which rightfully became the second in the name of a gas mask - Emond Kummant, a technologist at the Triangle plant.

The British Patent Office granted Emond Kummant a patent for the original mask he invented. It was the mask, tightly and hermetically attached to the skin of the face, that saved from the slightest hit of toxic substances on the skin.

Positional imperialist war forced the opponents to look for methods of conducting military operations with the use of poisonous substances. The main task was to find protection, including universal filters and a reliable protective mask. The gas mask in question became such a means of protection.

Gas mask Zelinsky: structure

There were three prototypes - Petrograd, Moscow and government.

The first, in 1915, entered service with a gas mask of the Petrograd type. The helmet was put on a rectangular gas mask box with two bottoms, box size 200:80:50 millimeters. The lower bottom with a neck was closed with a cork stopper, the same neck, but higher, was soldered into the top. Between them was a metal mesh with a layer of gauze on both sides. Between the gauze pads was placed 3-6 mm granular activated carbon. The volume of the filter was 700 cubic meters. centimeters, length - 174 mm. The box was protected by a cap made of tin. The mask was orange, the box was fastened with a braid.

The Moscow example entered service in 1916 and was smaller with an oval-shaped box. The volume of the carbon filter has become 1000 cubic centimeters.

However, testing showed the need for improvement. And a third version of the Zelinsky gas mask appeared - like the State Gas Mask Plant. It was somewhat shorter than the previous one, with an elliptical box.

Approbation of the device

In the Russian army, the Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask appeared in the winter of 2016. During the two years of the war, Russia produced more than 11 million pieces of these protective equipment.

Approbation of the Zelinsky gas mask took place in the combat conditions of the First World War. The tests were supervised by a student of N. D. Zelinsky Nikolai Shilov. It was he who suggested to the professor a multilayer carbon filter. He also owns analytical work to test the effectiveness of work chemical protection in mobile laboratories, as well as the organization of schools for the personnel of the Russian army, where they trained in the use of protective equipment - Zelinsky's gas mask. History has proven the importance of these schools and the lack of attention to them from the command.

Advantages and disadvantages

The possibility of air purification from various toxic substances and the discovery of an ideal adsorbent are unconditional discoveries made by Professor N. D. Zelinsky. The gas mask of his invention at the time of its appearance had no analogues in terms of adsorbing substance. The new type of filter of this Russian gas mask was not very convenient, but effective.

Zelinsky's first gas mask also had its drawbacks. These include the following:

Gas masks of that war

The countries participating in the imperialist war did not stand aside from attempts to improve the means of chemical protection. The French gas mask of Jules Tissot, for example, weighed more than four kilograms, the box was located on the back, and caustic soda mixed with wood wool and metal filings acted as an absorber. All this was soaked in soap, glycerin and castor oil.

Today, the prototype of the modern gas mask is considered to be the British gas mask of the First World War model. In appearance, it really is most similar to its modern counterpart. But neither the British, nor the French, nor the Germans used activated carbon as an absorber. Russia's allies, the British, in 1916 asked to send them five Zelinsky-Kummant gas masks for study. British chemists did not believe in the adsorbing properties of birch charcoal. But even after testing the operation of these devices, the Allies could not surpass Professor Zelinsky.

It is also interesting that protective equipment was also developed for horses. It looked very interesting.

What did the professor get for his invention

The Chemical Committee of the Russian Empire filed a petition with the Special Meeting to reward the professor for his invention, which saved thousands of lives. However, the matter never ended. Professor Zelinsky did not receive a single ruble from the Russian government for Zelinsky's gas mask. The story of a professor who did not receive a patent for his unique carbon filter, and refused a nomination for Nobel Prize so it ended. But his co-author, the author of the patented mask, E. Kummant signed an agreement with the Triangle plant and received 50 kopecks for each item sent to the military-industrial committee of Russia. Zelinsky's gas mask made Emond Kummant a millionaire.

It is noteworthy that in Russia there is not a single monument to Professor N.D. Zelinsky, although an institute in St. Pererburg is named after him.

It is positioned that the creation of gas masks began with the introduction of chemical warfare agents into service. This is an erroneous statement. First of all, means of protection were invented for peaceful purposes, and only after they were used in war. Protection of doctors and medical staff, use to protect workers who come into contact with harmful substances- these are the main priorities of any scientific activity.

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How did the first gas mask appear

One of the tasks civil defense is to provide the population with personal protective equipment. One of these means is considered a gas mask. And what do we actually know about gas masks?

When did the first gas mask appear?

There is no definite answer to this question. The first attempts to create a protective device that allows you to be in a dangerous environment without the risk of infection or poisoning were made in the Middle Ages. Close to the creation of a gas mask in its modern form, the inventors came to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. And this was due to the development of industry and the invention of chemical weapons, which were first used during the First World War.

Russian chemist Nikolai Zelinsky and engineer Kummant managed to create an apparatus that was most widely used among the troops. Zelinsky discovered in the course of research that thermally treated birch charcoal absorbs toxic substances best of all. Based on these studies, the engineer of the Triangle plant came up with a hermetic rubber mask that fits snugly to the face, which made it possible to breathe air passed through a kind of filter. So in 1915, the first domestic filtering gas mask appeared. Large batches of coal gas masks began to be produced in Russia after the invention of Zelinsky-Kummant was successfully implemented in Germany and England.

For whom was the gas mask invented?

Turns out it's not just for humans. In Germany, France and the USSR, a gas mask was developed for war horses? in order to protect them from the consequences of a gas attack. The role of horses in the army has become insignificant over time, and the likelihood of gas attacks against cavalry or any other kind of troops is negligible. Therefore, the stocks of horse gas masks, which were equipped with domestic military depots in the middle of the last century, turned out to be practically unclaimed.

The Soviet Union went even further and developed special gas masks for service dogs, as well as for farm animals - pigs and cows. It was assumed that in the event of a nuclear war, such devices would help protect meat and dairy animals from radiation contamination and survive the consequences of the bombing with their help. However, these products did not go into mass production.

What are the gas masks?

All gas masks, regardless of model, are designed to isolate the respiratory organs, skin of the face and eyes from the effects of an aggressive environment, that is, radioactive toxic and emergency chemical hazardous substances(AHOV) and purification of inhaled air from toxic gases and vapors.

Gas masks differ in the types of masks that can completely cover the back of the head or only the front part, and in the types of filter systems. The gas mask may also be fitted with an intercom or liquid intake system that allows the safe drinking of water and the ingestion of liquid food in a contaminated atmosphere.

Gas masks are combined arms, industrial and civilian. The latter are those that should be provided to the population in the event of an emergency or hostilities by the enemy. For adults, civilian gas masks GP-5 and GP-7 are used. For children from 1.5 to about 8 years old - gas mask PDF-2D (Sh).

What does a gas mask not protect against?

A rubber mask with a filter does not oxygenate the inhaled air and therefore cannot be used in environments that are very oxygen deficient. For example, in conditions of strong smoke during a fire. A gas mask equipped with a standard filter does not protect against carbon monoxide, as well as organic gases (such as methane, ethane, butane, acetylene, and others), however, the gas mask can be equipped with additional filters that extend the time spent in the infection zone and expand the range of substances to which it is provided protection.

How to choose the right gas mask?

The selection of gas masks and helmet-masks is carried out according to the results of head measurements. For the front parts of gas masks for adults, a size range of five sizes is provided - from zero to four. Only a properly selected gas mask can guarantee the safety of the one who uses it. After all, if the mask does not fit snugly to the head, it will not protect against poisonous substances and gases. By the way, a lush mustache, beard or hairstyle can cause incomplete sealing.

Children's gas masks have a number of advantages over those intended for adults. They have reduced breathing resistance on inspiration and reduced face pressure on the head. All this allows you to increase the time spent by children in protective equipment. The design of the front part is such that it became possible to reduce the number of growths to three, which facilitates the selection of gas masks.

In the conditions of army units, the serviceability of gas masks and their tightness are checked by running personnel in gas masks to a special tent where irritant training substances are sprayed. If a person experiences discomfort in such conditions, it means that the gas mask is chosen incorrectly or is faulty. Specialists at the points of issue of personal protective equipment help civilians to choose the right gas mask and adjust its straps to the size of their heads. Such points are deployed in the event of a real military threat or a serious man-made accident, involving the contamination of a large area with harmful industrial emissions or AHOV.

Is it possible to ruin a gas mask?

Gas masks must be handled with care. The rubber mask is afraid of sharp objects, and the filter device may fail due to impact.

In addition, it turns out that it is undesirable to use gas masks in fog and during precipitation. Smoke and ground dust also adversely affect filter devices. In conditions of severe dustiness, the breathing of a person wearing a gas mask can be very difficult or even depressurization will occur.

Wearing a gas mask comfortably requires some training. After all, you will have to breathe with some effort. That's why important condition long stay and work in a gas mask is deep and even breathing, which can be developed only by systematic exercise. For example, doing breathing exercises every day.

Well-trained fighters of the units of the RKhBZ troops (radiological, chemical, biological protection) have standards for the speed of putting on a gas mask. The average result there is considered to be 10 seconds, for a mark of “good” you need to cope with this in 8 seconds, for “excellent” - in 7 seconds.

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How the gas mask was invented | Saiga 12.ru

Parts of the 217 Kovrovsky and 218 Gorbatovsky regiments of the 55th Infantry Division were the most affected by the gas. The first of these regiments was actually destroyed. His losses were 16 officers and 2147 soldiers. The second regiment lost nine officers and 894 soldiers.

The total losses on the entire sector of the front amounted to about seven to eight thousand, of which about two thousand people died in the next day.

After this gas attack, the feverish activity of numerous organizations began to invent and manufacture all kinds of gas masks. Everything that the sophisticated human mind could think of was offered. For example, fires. According to the inventors, the heat generated during their combustion can lift a cloud of gas into the upper atmosphere, and it will pass over the trenches. It was also supposed to shoot a cloud of gas with artillery and weapons fire, disperse it with explosions of firecrackers, put propellers driven by powerful motors, shields moistened with a gas mask solution in front of the trenches.

Finally, various atomizers (hydraulic panels) have been proposed that spray an anti-gas solution in a gas cloud. The Office of the Supreme Commander of the Sanitary and Evacuation Unit enthusiastically took up the idea of ​​the inventors on the ground - to use urine as a means of protection against gases. Many official instructions contained a legend about the miraculous properties of urine. It was recommended for impregnation of wet masks, as well as scarves and overcoats, which were proposed to wrap the face during gas attacks.

Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky, who at that time held the position of supreme head of the sanitary and evacuation unit, summoned the chemist General V.N. Ipatiev, who at that time was the chairman of the commission for the procurement of explosives at the Main Artillery Directorate, to clarify issues related to the development of measures against gases. It was clearly established that the Germans had used chlorine on 31 May 1915, and a plan was drawn up to expand the respective chlorine plants in order to respond to the Germans within four to five months.

Shortly before this, the question of the production of phosgene for filling shells with it at the Ivanovo plant of Gondurin was also discussed. Now we can definitely state that a number of the most important poisonous substances were first proposed by Russian scientists (phosgene, hydrocyanic acid, chloropicrin). Another step of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky in this field was his appeal to women's organizations (institutes, gymnasiums, charitable societies, etc.) with a call to start mass production of gauze masks. Every organization in any way connected with the manufacture of masks sought to offer its own type. Since there was no quality control of masks at first, many organizations managed to produce a significant number of masks according to locally invented samples.

In the manufacture of impregnation for masks, a gross chemical error was first made. The fact is that masks in the first period of chemical warfare were impregnated with a solution of hyposulfite without the addition of soda. The sulfuric and hydrochloric acids formed as a result of the reaction of hyposulfite and chlorine, in turn, reacted with hyposulfite with the release of sulfur dioxide, which entered the respiratory tract with air passing through the mask. By the end of 1915, when the army was for the most part supplied only with wet masks, it turned out that the Germans were using phosgene. Impregnation of masks with hyposulfite did not at all guarantee protection against phosgene, and therefore they began to search for special means for impregnating masks.

And soon, at a meeting of the Moscow Experimental Commission, V.M. Gorbatenko reported on a means found at the Moscow Technical School for impregnation of wet masks in order to protect against phosgene - urotropine, obtained for the first time by A.M. Butlerov back in 1860. Tests of a new impregnation containing urotropine gave good results, and by the end of the war in Russia, the production of significant quantities of urotropine had already been established. Assumptions about the possibility of using hydrocyanic acid, fortunately, did not materialize.

In the history of chemical warfare, and in particular in the history of the development of the gas mask, Russian scientists have played an exceptional role. It is known that science in Russia, and in particular chemistry, already in the 19th century stood on high level. Both in the prewar period and during the war of 1914-1918, among the Russian professors there were many outstanding scientists of world renown. Most of them from the very beginning of the war were somehow involved in work on the instructions of various defense organizations.

In June 1915 N.D. Zelinsky worked at that time in Petrograd as the head of the Central Laboratory of the Ministry of Finance, where he got the idea to use coal to protect against gases. Coming in contact with the production of alcohol, in which coal has long been used to clean raw materials, N.D. Zelinsky had at his disposal various grades of coal and, having set up appropriate experiments, found that coal was indeed a powerful agent for absorbing poisonous gases.

Particularly good qualities in this regard were shown by the so-called "activated" carbon, that is, it was subjected to secondary firing after this coal had already been used to purify alcohol. Preliminary experiments with coal were made in the laboratory of the Ministry of Finance. Sulfur was burned in an empty room, and when the concentration of sulfur dioxide reached a value at which it was impossible to enter the room without a gas mask, people entered wearing gauze bandages, between the layers of which fine-grained coal was wrapped.

Of course, good results were stated only when such a device was sealed to the face. Then N.D. Zelinsky for the first time reports on the means he found at a meeting of the Anti-Gas Commission at the Russian Technical Society in Petrograd, and on August 12 he already spoke about coal at an emergency meeting of the Moscow Experimental Commission. In his message, N.D. Zelinsky points out that the protective effect of coal is universal and, moreover, coal is available in Russia in sufficient quantities.

The commission decided to immediately start testing the coal gas mask. The box of this gas mask had a rectangular shape, in the upper neck of which M.I.'s rubber helmet was soldered. Kummant (a technologist at the Triangle plant) with a process for wiping glasses. The box contained thin metal meshes, between which was placed N.D. Zelinsky coal. Breathing in this gas mask was pendulum, that is, inhalation and exhalation were made through a charcoal filter. The gas mask was worn on its side and quite easily brought into combat position.

Thus, by November 1915, it was already quite clear that coal was the best way to protect against gases. At the beginning of February 1916, the protective properties of the gas mask were demonstrated to the tsar, and despite this, the issue of ordering gas masks did not move forward. This example characterizes that common feature of many institutions in Russia, in which the personal interest of departmental bosses is often preferred to common sense.

The first order for Zelinsky gas masks in the amount of 200 thousand pieces was given in March 1916 under pressure from the General Staff, bypassing the Chemical Committee. For the production of coal, furnaces of the State wine warehouses No. 1 in Moscow and No. 4 in Petrograd, as well as the Moscow and Petrograd gas plants, were used. But only when the invention of N.D. Zelinsky was sold in England and Germany, coal gas masks began to be manufactured in Russia in large quantities. However, even after such a belated recognition, N.D. Zelinsky did not receive a penny for his invention.

As is often the case with discovery history, there are different points view of certain historical facts. According to some reports, on May 31, 1915, the Germans did not use chlorine (it had been in use long before that), but a mixture of chlorine and phosgene. According to others, phosgene was first used precisely against the Russian troops, and the mixture of hydrocyanic acid with arsenic trichloride was first used by the French.

The modern gas mask, apparently, was invented in 1912 by the American Garrett Morgan. True, it was intended to protect firefighters and engineers who are forced to work in a toxic environment. As for protection from the plague, then, apparently, the first attempts were made by scientists back in the 17th century. And the first American patent for a “lung protection device” was received in 1849 by Lewis Haslet. The German Alexander Drager patented his gas mask design in America in 1914.

Thus, an unambiguous answer to the question: “Who invented the gas mask?” - Most likely no.

Source istoriz.ru

sayga12.ru

Who and how invented the gas mask

Gas masks of various designs have been widely used for about two centuries: they are necessary for specialists when carrying out hazardous work in various industries, as well as military personnel and civilians, which, under certain circumstances, get into places with a gas hazardous to health. Regardless of the design features, all gas masks serve the same purpose - they prevent the threat of poisoning, this article is not only for those who want to buy a gas mask, but also for history buffs.

The history of the creation of a gas mask

Until now, there is no consensus on who exactly should be considered the inventor of the gas mask, because the prototypes of this device were known back in the Middle Ages. During the plague, doctors used masks with long beaks. These beaks were filled with medicinal herbs. Medieval doctors believed that such masks prevent infection.

The world's first gas mask, according to historians, was created in 1847 by the American inventor Lewis Haslett. This device, unique for those times, was intended to prevent unwanted inhalation: a felt filter retained harmful substances, allowing a person to breathe without harming his body. The gas mask invented by Haslett made it possible to breathe sequentially through the mouth or through the nose when the person was in a place where harmful impurities were present in the air.

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In the future, inventors around the world worked to improve filters to create more effective gas masks, which proved to be indispensable under certain circumstances. In most cases, they were used to filter dust and other small particles to prevent them from entering the respiratory system. However, such gas masks could not protect the human body from negative impact gaseous toxins.

The first modern gas mask was invented in 1912 by a black American, Garrett Morgan. The device was intended to protect engineers and firefighters forced to work in a toxic environment. In 1914, the German inventor Alexander Drager patented his gas mask design in America.

Zelinsky's invention

In 1915, the Russian scientist Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky developed the first filtering coal gas mask, which was adopted by the Entente troops in 1916. For the first time in history, it used activated carbon as the main sorbent material.

The first order for gas masks developed by Zelinsky in the amount of 200 thousand pieces was made under pressure from the General Staff in the spring of 1916. However, large quantities of coal gas masks began to be produced in Russia only when Zelinsky's invention was implemented in Germany and England. And even after such a belated recognition, the Russian scientist was not paid a penny for his invention.

Starting with the first gas attacks in 1915, with attempts to protect against poisonous gases with multi-layer bandages made of wet towels, in parallel with the improvement of the means of mass destruction of people, there has been a search for more and more effective ways to save and ensure combat capability on the battlefield.

Among these methods is the use of military gas masks.

Military gas masks provide respiratory protection, as well as eyes and face protection from damaging factors nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons. In addition, when using special protective films, the eyes are protected from intense light radiation.

Design and equipment

IN military units there are filtering and isolating army gas masks.

Filtering

Filters hermetically protect the respiratory organs from environmental influences. The inhaled air is purified by passing through an absorption system with filters.

The use of these protective equipment is limited by the oxygen content in the air. If it is below 17% by volume, only insulating gas masks are used.

Consider a combined-arms filtering gas mask. General device includes a helmet-mask with sealed exhalation and inhalation valves.

She also equipped with obturator - device, which directs the inhalation-exhalation air flow, a viewing unit with durable glasses, a speech membrane and an inlet, which provides a hermetic connection of the filter-absorbing box.

This box has a sturdy case, inside which is filter and mixture - activated carbon layer with special absorbing additives. The package includes a helmet-mask, additional protective films for the viewing unit, and a bag for carrying the product.

insulating

used in an atmosphere with low oxygen content, in its complete absence, as well as in the presence of such harmful impurities that are not captured by filters.

They exclude direct contact of the face, eyes and respiratory tract with the environment, purify the exhaled air from carbon dioxide, water and supply it with oxygen without contact with the surrounding space.

In such devices breathing mixture from a portable device is fed into a sealed helmet-mask through the connecting tube.

An approximate complete set of an insulating gas mask includes: a helmet-mask, a connecting tube, a regenerative cartridge with a trigger, a breathing bag equipped with a valve overpressure, a bag for carrying a breathing apparatus and a bag for storing it.

Fundamental differences from civil and industrial

Let's take a closer look at how it differs from the combined arms. During military operations, it is important to have Ability to speak and hear clearly to ensure communication. Therefore, the ear part, even in the oldest military models, unlike civilian ones, is freed from a hermetic coating, and the helmet-mask is equipped with an intercom unit - a sealed membrane.

Another difference from civilian models is that military products have insulating options with an autonomous source of breathing mixture. Military gas mask filters are designed to last longer. The glasses are equipped with additional films that protect against intense light radiation.

Such gas masks, on the one hand, do not have a specialized set of trapped substances, as in . On the other hand, they have their own specific focus: combat toxins, bacterial suspensions, radioactive dust.

In addition, military gas masks do not have either quarter-face or half-face mask options, only full-face ones, which, together with hoods, provide effective head protection.

Donning guidelines and common mistakes

The product is put on at the command "Gases!". Immediately after such a command, they hold their breath and close their eyes; take out the gas mask from the bag, take out the plug from the filter box.

Helmet-mask is taken with both hands for the lower part, which has thickened edges. In this case, the thumbs should be outside the mask, and the rest - inside it.

The lower part of the helmet-mask is placed under the chin and with a quick movement of the hands in the up and back direction, the helmet-mask is pulled over the head, ideally evenly and without wrinkles.

Glasses should be at eye level. Having adjusted the mask in order to eliminate the distortion and eliminate wrinkles, if they have formed, they exhale completely, open their eyes - and breathe in purified air.

Regulatory to perform all these actions for an “excellent” rating is seven seconds. Nine seconds is good, and ten seconds is fair.

Common errors, after one of which normative assessment reduced by 1 point:

• when putting on, the eyes were not closed or the breath was not held;
• after putting on, a full exhalation is not performed;
• the warp of the helmet-mask has not been eliminated.

In a real combat situation, any of these errors could be fatal: not holding your breath before putting on a gas mask, and not exhaling after it is put on, you can get poisoned before you start to act.

Folds and distortions violate the tightness and damaging factors freely penetrate under the helmet-mask.

Features of use and storage

Protective the properties of the filter-absorbing box are reduced when it is moistened Therefore, it is necessary to store products only in a dry room, and when using and transporting in conditions of high humidity (rain, fog), protect from water ingress.

If only a dent is formed on the surface after the impact, which does not violate the tightness, and the absorbing layer does not spill inside (there is no characteristic sound when shaking), the box is suitable for use. If the internal "stuffing" is poured or the box is broken, it must be replaced.

When the product is used in a very dusty environment, its protective properties are also reduced: Dust settles on the inspiratory and expiratory valves, reducing their tightness. In addition, the resistance to inhalation increases.

To bring the equipment back to normal, wash the front part and, in particular, the exhalation valves with soap and water. In this case, water should not fall on the filter-absorbing box. You should also remove the dust from the cover of the box and make a few sharp exhalations into its neck.

With mechanical damage to the box, its protective properties are reduced or completely lost.

Popular Russian models

These military personal protective equipment are presented filtering and isolating options.

Filtering (from old, Soviet, to new, Russian):

• SGP(military gas mask of small size, made in Russia) - a "military" modification of the civilian GP-5, featuring a black helmet-mask with holes for the ears, equipped with an intercom with a membrane.
• SHMS– has a more comfortable helmet-mask, mandatory intercom and a windshield blower.
• SHMG- with improved organization of inhalation-exhalation, the possibility of using optics. It has an additional clasp that secures the helmet-mask.
• PBF, also known as "Hamster" (in the form of a helmet-mask), belongs to the category of small-sized boxless. Filter cartridges filled with activated carbon with additives are placed on both sides of the front of the helmet mask, which makes it look like a hamster. The protective action time is limited to twenty minutes.
• PMK-1- a significantly improved version of the GP-7, equipped with large glasses that expand the view. Provides work with optics and sights. It has a filter with improved absorption properties and a drinking device.
• PMK-2, as a development and continuation of the PMK-1, has improved characteristics of the box, which is connected using an adapter. Its attachment points are located on both sides of the mask.
• PMK-3(combat gas mask), the most modern version, includes an additionally sealed viewing unit with an improved obturator, a filter mount without thread, and an adapter for working with Russian-made boxes of any type.
  It comes with two types of absorbing boxes: military and universal, with additional protection against ammonia and chlorine.

  In addition, there is a warm balaclava, hood, respirator, waterproof bag. Has a drinking device. Can be used at temperatures from -40ºС to +50ºС and relative humidity air 98%. Protects against radioactive substances, toxins, as well as bacterial agents, radioactive dust and light radiation from a nuclear explosion.

  Inspiratory resistance 30L/min, speech intelligibility 95%, continuous exposure 24 hours, filter life 240 hours, weight 960 g, warranty period 15 years.

Video review of the modern combined arms gas mask PMK-3:

Insulating gas masks:

• IP-4. Compact, light weight, placed in the position of the dorsal satchel. It has a comfortable mask with fixation straps and a mask holder. Modifications: M, MP, MK, MR.
• IP-5. It is characterized by the longest protective action time, in addition, it allows underwater work - at depths up to 7 meters inclusive.
• KIP-5. Combines the characteristics of an insulating gas mask and an oxygen apparatus. Has the maximum efficiency and long operating time.

Devices of foreign production

The most common American and German models.

Comparison and perspectives

The disadvantages of the old models are: imperfection of speech and viewing units, relatively short duration of protection, discomfort during prolonged wear, sensitivity of the filter box to water ingress.

Products new generation comfortable, resistant to moisture, protected from fogging glasses, equipped with efficient intercoms, have a wide field of view.

Modern Russian models not inferior to foreign analogues. Further development personal protective equipment for military purposes involves the improvement of filters, breathing apparatus and means of communication, extension of the period of continuous wearing, integration with information technology and optical systems.

Military personal protective equipment is an integral part of the army, designed to carry out operational tasks in the centers of destruction by bacteriological, chemical and nuclear weapons. Modern army gas masks can ensure survival and combat capability in such conditions.

It is still not known who invented the gas mask. There is no consensus on this issue. Their primitive prototypes were used as far back as the Middle Ages, when doctors used special masks with long noses. Medicinal herbs were placed in them. Doctors believed that this could protect them from the plague and other epidemics. More seriously, the creation of a gas mask was undertaken in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was connected not with medicine, but with military affairs.

Briefly about gas masks

Before you find out who invented the gas mask, you should clarify what it is. This remedy protects the respiratory organs, as well as the eyes and skin.

There are two types:

1. Filtering - protects against certain toxic substances. The one who wears it breathes air from the environment, which passes through the filter.
2. Insulating - provides a person with air from a container filled with a limited amount of oxygen.

The invention of gas masks was associated with the emergence of a new type of weapon - poisonous gas. It is quite difficult to determine in which year the gas mask was invented, since different scientists around the world were working on this device at the same time.

Invented by Lewis Haslett

Who invented the gas mask? In terms of chronology, the first device that belongs to modern gas masks was invented in 1847. Its author was the American Lewis Haslett.

A patent was granted for an invention called "Lung Protector". It included a block and a felt filter. The block was equipped with valves to inhale and exhale. It could be attached to the mouth or nose.

However, during the First World War, a more reliable means of protecting soldiers was required. When the Germans began to carry out gas attacks, scientists began work on improving the existing gas mask.

Who invented the filter gas mask for World War I soldiers?

Invention of Nikolai Zelinsky

In the Russian troops, during a gas attack, soldiers protected their respiratory organs with a gauze bandage soaked in a special agent. There was no benefit from such protection. It was necessary to create an effective means of protection.

The Russian decided to use coal as a filter. As a result of experiments, he came to the conclusion that it is best to absorb poisonous substances that have undergone heat treatment.

Zelinsky's idea was brought to life by the engineer Kummant. He made a rubber mask that fits snugly to the face. Air entered the respiratory tract through the filter element. The device was created in a few months. The first batch of gas masks was sent to the army in 1916. In total, during the war, about eleven million gas masks were made for the Entente army.

However, Haslett and Zelinsky were not the only ones to invent the gas mask. They were among those who worked on the universal problem. It consisted in protecting the respiratory organs from smoke or toxic fumes.

Gas masks by other inventors

There is information about inventions in other regions long before the advent of Zelinsky's device and even Haslett's.

Examples of inventions:

• In 1871, the Irish physicist John Tundalls created a respirator that protected the respiratory system from smoke and toxic fumes that are released during a fire.
• In 1891, Bernhard Lobs created a respirator that consisted of a metal container. It was divided into three chambers.
• In 1901, a respirator appeared that completely covered the head. The air passed through a carbon filter.
• In 1912, Garrett Morgan created a device to protect firefighters and engineers who had to work in an environment with a high concentration of toxic substances. The inventor is originally from the USA.
• Another design of a gas mask in the United States was presented by the inventor Alexander Drager, who was a native of Germany. He patented his device in 1914.

It is difficult to say in which country the gas mask was invented. It was created both in the USA and in Russia. However, the Zelinsky apparatus became the most common during the First World War. It was implemented not only in Russia, but also in England and Germany. The device was recognized all over the world, but the Russian scientist did not earn anything on this.

The twentieth century in the history of our civilization was not only the era of great scientific discoveries and revolutionary technological breakthroughs, but also the century of two world wars, which overshadowed all previous conflicts with their cruelty. The last century "gave" mankind such a thing as "weapons of mass destruction" - a means of warfare capable of destroying tens or even hundreds of thousands of people at a time. One of its types is military poison gases. For the first time they were massively used on April 25, 1915, near the small Belgian town of Ypres - German troops released chlorine against the British and French. This date is considered the "birthday" of chemical weapons...

However, the First World War gave rise not only to military poison gases, but also gave a powerful impetus to the development of means of protection against them, the main of which, without a doubt, is a gas mask. Even a century after the Ypres attack, the gas mask has not become less in demand - at present, this protective device is used not only in military affairs, but also in many absolutely “peaceful” areas of industry.

Currently, there are numerous types of gas masks designed to perform different tasks. Although, in general, since the invention of this protective agent, the principles of operation and the device of the gas mask have not changed much.

A gas mask is a personal protective equipment designed to protect the respiratory organs, facial skin and mucous membranes of the eyes from damage by toxic substances that are present in the air. Moreover, the latter can be very different - from poisonous agents to radioactive dust and biological aerosols.

However, before moving on to a story about the main types of gas masks, a few words should be said about the history of this means of protection and the main milestones of its development.

The birth of the gas mask: the trenches of World War I

The first use of chemical weapons was a real shock to European society. And it was not only the large number of deaths. Death from poisonous gas is too painful, but, most importantly, at first there was practically no protection against chemical weapons. And in general, the idea that people can be poisoned like rats or cockroaches was somehow not to the liking of the Europeans.

In fact, since ancient times, people have thought about protecting the respiratory system from dust, smoke and toxic substances. Also in Ancient Rome tried to protect workers in the extraction of gypsum, lead, limestone. The Italian genius of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, was also interested in this issue. However, the first working devices of this type began to appear only in the 19th century. Usually these were respirators with filters made of dense fabric (felt) or activated carbon. They were mainly used by firefighters, as well as workers. hazardous industries. There were also protective devices, which were supplied with air through a hose using pumps (“smoke helmets”), they were also used to extinguish fires. Probably, something similar was tried to be used when gilding the domes of Isakiy in St. Petersburg. However, then the protection did not help - several dozen workers died from poisonous mercury fumes. Even the insulating gas mask was invented in the 19th century. The most famous of its kind was the Fleiss apparatus. It consisted of a mask that was connected by tubes to an air bag. The Fleiss apparatus has been successfully used during operations to rescue miners.

A variety of methods were proposed to protect against the new diabolical weapons. For example, use fires. They had to be kindled in front of the trench line so that the warm air would carry the cloud of gas high up. There were proposals to shoot gases or cannons and machine guns, to install huge propellers or huge shields treated with special solutions in front of the positions. The first, more or less effective, anti-gas agent was fabric masks impregnated with various chemical compounds. However, such protection was rather dubious: it could be a reliable barrier for one gas and be completely powerless against another.

The first gas masks worked on the principle of chemical neutralization of agents, but it was not very effective. After the mask was developed to protect against chlorine, the Germans began to use benzyl bromide, which not only penetrated such a bandage, but also additionally affected the eyes. In response to this, the mask was equipped with goggles and another layer was added to it, which also neutralized this type of OV. The Germans, in turn, began to use phosgene, from which the bandage no longer saved. It had to add new layers with impregnation, now from phosgene. The situation repeated itself after the appearance of hydrocyanic acid on the battlefield. In the end, engineers and chemists came to the need to use to create means of protection against RH new way gas neutralization - physical.

Russian gas mask Zelinsky-Kummant

Back in the summer of 1915, the Russian chemist Zelinsky suggested using charcoal treated in a certain way as a universal adsorbent. By the same time, the engineer Kummant created a rubber helmet that protected not only the respiratory organs, but also the head as a whole. This is how the Zelinsky-Kummant gas mask appeared, the tests of which were carried out at the beginning of 1916. The gas mask turned out to be so reliable that it made it possible to abandon the "mouthpieces" - a special tube that the soldier had to hold with his teeth - and nose clips. This hose gas mask reliably protected a person from all types of vaporous agents of its time. It became the prototype for all subsequent domestic and foreign civilian and combined arms gas masks.

In 1916-1917. Russian industry produced more than 11 million Zelinsky-Kummant gas masks.

At the end of the war, the Germans began to use the new kind chemical weapons - poisonous fumes, against which charcoal was ineffective. Special smoke filters had to be added to the military gas mask, which could cope with the new threat. At the same time, gas masks for animals appeared.

In 1925 another international convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons was signed. However, the generals had no doubt that military gases would still have their say on the battlefield. Therefore, work on their improvement did not stop, much attention was paid to the means of protection against agents. The development of new gas masks was carried out both in the USSR and in the West. Moreover, protective equipment was created not only for military personnel, but also for the civilian population (for example, the Soviet civilian gas mask GP-2 or GP-5).

Classification or which gas mask is better to choose

First of all, gas masks should be distinguished from respirators. These two tools are often confused, especially since many models of these protective devices are really very similar. Meanwhile, it is very simple to distinguish a gas mask from a respirator - the latter covers only the mouth and nose of a person, and the gas mask covers the entire face or head, protecting not only the respiratory organs, but also the skin and eyes.

According to the principle of their work, all gas masks are divided into two large groups:

• insulating (gas mask IP-4, IP-5, IP-46);
• filtering (gas mask GP-5, GP-7, GP-9, etc.).

An insulating gas mask completely limits the access of polluted air to the respiratory system. A person breathes clean air from an alternative source. These can be cylinders or an installation with a chemical source of oxygen and a carbon dioxide absorber. The protection of an insulating gas mask is more reliable than a filter one, in addition, it is versatile: it can be used not only to protect against gases, but also in conditions of lack of oxygen. There are so-called hose respirators, in which breathing air is supplied from external source(compressor or blower). The time of use of such a device is practically unlimited.

When using a filtering gas mask, a person breathes air from the surrounding atmosphere, which passes through a series of special filters. They need to be changed periodically. The filtering gas mask is not universal, and, of course, it cannot be used when there is a lack of oxygen in the atmosphere.

Filtering gas masks also differ in the degree and type of protection. This characteristic of a gas mask can be determined by the marking, which must be applied to the filter box. If the number "1" is marked on it, then it means that the device can only protect you from a low concentration of OM in the atmosphere (0.1%), with the number "2" the gas mask can be used at gas concentrations of 0.5%, and "3 » – more than 1%.

By appointment, gas masks are divided into:

• civil;
• military;
• industrial.

Civilian models (for example, a gas mask GP-5, GP-7, GP-9, etc.) are the simplest, they are designed so that, if necessary, they can be used by a person without any training. The main purpose of these gas masks is to protect the population in the event of man-made disaster or war.

Military gas masks often have additional attributes that make it easier for a soldier to perform combat missions. In addition, many combined-arms gas masks are designed to perform special tasks (gas masks for tankers, chemical troops, gas masks for the wounded in the head, etc.).

Industrial gas masks are designed for work involving poisonous or harmful substances. As a rule, they are part of a protective suit or OZK.

Sometimes children's gas masks designed to protect the respiratory organs of children and adolescents are allocated in a separate class. A children's gas mask differs from ordinary civilian models only in its size. There are also special chambers for babies, into which air is forced through special filters.

The device of the filtering and insulating gas mask

A filtering gas mask (for example, a gas mask GP-5) consists of a front part (a helmet-mask) and an absorbing box. The gas mask comes with a special bag, a film that protects glasses from fogging, spare membranes for gas masks with an intercom, covers for an absorbing box and insulating cuffs.

The helmet-mask consists of:

• corps;
• points node;
• fairing;
• valve boxes;
• intercom (if any).

The filter or absorbing box is connected to the front part, and it is she who cleans the air. Its body consists of tin, aluminum or plastic, the upper part has a threaded neck, with which the box is attached to the front part or to the hose. Air purification is carried out thanks to the anti-aerosol filter and coal-catalyst with a large absorbing surface. The GP-9 gas mask has an additional DPG cartridge, which, when installed, significantly expands the capabilities of the device (additional protection against ammonia, sulfur dioxide, amines, hydrogen cyanide).

The insulating gas mask consists of a face mask, as well as a regenerative cartridge, a breathing bag, a valve for relieving excess pressure, and a tube system.

A significant disadvantage of insulating gas masks is the limited time of their use. As a rule, it is no more than three hours. In addition, compared to filtering models, insulating gas masks are quite heavy, and their cost is also high.

The most common types of domestic gas masks

In the Soviet Union, defense against weapons of mass destruction was taken seriously. Therefore, during this period, several dozen types of gas masks, both civilian and military, were developed and put into mass production. Many of them are still in use today.

Gas mask PMK. This is a whole series of combined arms gas masks, the first of which - PMK-1 - was put into service in the early 80s. Convenient and reliable, it has gone through many upgrades and is currently the main gas mask of the Russian army. The PMK-3 gas mask has trapezoidal glasses that provide good review, a drinking tube, an intercom and a comfortable ergonomic mask. At the same time, PMK-3 boasts a huge resource (up to 240 hours), simplicity and reliability. A more advanced PMK-4 has already been developed, but so far it has only been seen in exercises. There is also a civilian version of this protective device- PMK-5.

Speaking about the Soviet army personal protective equipment, one cannot ignore the PBF gas mask, popularly nicknamed the "hamster". It was put into service in 1973 and removed from it already in the new millennium. PBF did not have a separate filter box, which significantly reduced its size and weight. This gas mask provided only a 20-minute protection against RH, but for its convenience and lightness it was dearly loved in the army. PBF was copied from the American M-17 gas mask.

Gas mask GP. This is also a whole line of civilian gas masks, the first of which - the GP-2 gas mask - was developed back in the mid-30s. In the early 50s, the gas mask GP-4U was put into production, which became the most massive civilian means personal protection in the USSR. In the people, this gas mask was nicknamed the "elephant".

In 1961, the GP-5 gas mask was accepted for supply, which was produced until 1989. A little later, taking into account operating experience, a modification of the GP-5M was released, with an intercom and a cutout for the ears. The GP-5 gas mask has two types of masks and five different sizes.

In 1983, the GP-7 gas mask was developed in the USSR, it is still in production. Unlike its predecessors, the GP-7 gas mask has an intercom and a tube for receiving liquid (GP-7V modification), its glasses are round. Gas mask GP-7 has three sizes, its weight is 0.9 kg. The absorbent box provides up to 12 hours of protection. To absorb ammonia and its derivatives, the GP-7 gas mask can be equipped with an additional cartridge, which is screwed onto the filter. According to a number of indicators, the GP-7 civilian gas mask is considered one of the most reliable personal protective equipment in the world.

A worthy continuation of this series is the GP-9 civilian gas mask, which can be equipped with several types of face masks. The GP-9 gas mask has a panoramic glass that provides excellent visibility, an intercom and a tube for receiving liquid. The GP-9 gas mask, even without an additional cartridge, can provide protection against ammonia and its derivatives. Special filters are needed to protect against carbon monoxide or nitrogen compounds. The GP-9 gas mask can provide absorption of toxic substances for 12 hours, after which the filter must be replaced.

An alternative to the GP-7 can be a gas mask VK (or UZS VK), which is a very popular commercial product. The VK gas mask looks similar to the GP-5 and GP-7, but, according to its manufacturers, provides a higher degree of protection.

If we talk about insulating gas masks of domestic production, then the models IP-4, IP-5, IP-46 should be noted. They can be used not only for protection against toxic substances. So, for example, the IP-5 gas mask can be used to perform diving operations at shallow depths, as well as during rescue operations.