The Low Down On Particulate Respirators
Though an innocuous sight from hospitals to construction zones, anti particle mask certainly are a prime example of technology honed by warfare and military applications, used by every day practical uses by civilians. Particulate respirators are simple face masks worn over the mouth and nose which use mechanical means to filter particulates - miniscule bits of matter or debris caught in the air, for instance saw dust, but also biological impurities - out of the air before it is taken in.
Yet another form of supplies for protection to, of course, quench your desires. In sterile environments like a hospital operating room, the contrary is intended: masks are worn to prevent liquid and aerosol dust from the wearer's mouth from dispersing infectious bacteria. In places like Japan, it isn't even exceptional for regular people to wear the mask while sick so as to prevent spreading the cold. Wool is a commonly used material, along with plastic, glass, or cellulose, though normally some combination of these materials is used. Particulate respirators are made to be disposable so the materials used are typically abundant and of very low cost.
Particulate respirators can trace their heritage as far back as World War One, when chemical warfare ended up being employed for the first time on a massive scale. At the Second Battle of the Ypres, Germany became the first country to employ chemical weapons in this fashion, dumping 168 tons of chlorine gas the allied front lines, killing thousands in just minutes.
The British and French would later on retaliate with gas attacks of their own, resulting in such appalling casualties on both sides that chemical warfare was subsequently forbidden by the Geneva Convention and is still illegal under the rules of global warfare to this day. Canadian troops were the first to devise a primitive defense against chlorine gas, discovering that urine soaked rags averted them from inhaling the gas.
The ammonia from the urine worked to neutralize the chlorine, protecting their lungs from the searing effects of the gas. This wasn't the first time respirators had been designed. Leonardo Da Vinci even invented a respiratory device to protect against another chemical weapon of his own invention. Other inventers and scientists had developed respiratory devices for purposes in mining operations, but none were so simple as a piece of cloth treated to keep pollutants at bay.
The effective use of chemically treated materials for protective face masks was fantastic for applications in construction or repair, where workers are routinely confronted by dangerous gaseous substances.
Likewise, another common method of air filtering was also designed during wartime for military application. HEPA filters, a common fixture in almost any house hold air filter, were first developed as part of the Manhattan Project during World War Two. Because HEPA filters can filter 99.97% of all airborne particles .3 micrometers in diameter or larger, their use as a respirator to protect Manhattan Project researchers from inhaling dangerous radioactive particles was highly successful. Now, HEPA filters are used for everything from air purifiers to vacuum cleaners.
About the Author
By Paul Wise who often uses particulate respirators and therefore recommends http://www.wipermaster.com/particulate_respirators.php
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