Anthrax!
Matthew Gaylor
freematt at coil.com
Mon Oct 8 13:03:10 PDT 2001
When asked about the current Anthrax scare, President Bush replied,
"I don't know what the big deal is all about. I think it's
perfectly safe to travel by train."
Note from Matthew Gaylor: I've heard that Israeli gas masks are now
going for upwards of $150 with extra filters going for $30. Although
they can be had cheaply enough on E-Bay. That's a far cry from the
case (12) I purchased years ago for something on the order of $5 per
mask which included West German filters. For those of you who aren't
well prepared or aren't well heeled let me suggest The Junk Science,
Do-It-Yourself -- Gas Mask below:
Source:
Sierra Times
http://www.sierratimes.com/
The Junk Science, Do-It-Yourself -- Gas Mask
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/oct/03/arwh100301.htm
NOTE: Click on the above URL to view the many pictures in the article.
Wayne Hicks 10.03.01
(Note to my readers: I'll be following this with a Chem-Bio
Protection system for small children, and a Do-it-yourself chem-bio
shelter... only here at Sierra Times!--WH)
Wayne has compiled a new e-book: Junk Science Survival that contains
many instructions and much more information on how to apply some of
these ideas to your own practical use! Click below for more
information.
http://www.sierratimes.com/junksciad.htm
With the current state of affairs, and the repeated warnings by
high-level Government Officials of possible, and even probable,
Bio-Chemical Attacks on America, it seems to be time to apply the
'Real American Junk Science" philosophy to personal protection, and,
based on the constant references in the news media to the demand for
gas masks that can no longer be purchased, that item won first place
in the list.
Photo
http://www.sierratimes.com/images/mask/model1.jpg
The strange looking girl in the photo above is my Daughter, DaniJo,
and she is wearing a dual-filtered homemade gas mask that will,
hopefully, afford her some protection in the event our small town
becomes the target of a bio-chem attack. The two-stage filter is
made of plastic bottles containing various filter materials,
connected together by medical-grade clear neoprene tubing, and mated
to a standard oxygen nose-mouth face mask. The eyepiece started out
as an off-the-shelf eye-protector, and the housing is nothing more
than a section of automotive inner-tube into which all of the
relevant pieces have been secured with staples and rubber cement.
Air is drawn into the filter bottles through a length of 3/8 inch
copper tubing which extends through the bottle's cap and all the way
to the bottom. The end is crimped so that air comes out of it in
small streams.
The bottle contains rubbing alcohol, and air drawn through it rises
through the alcohol in tiny bubbles, hopefully killing any germs
along the way. Also attached to the cap of the bottle, right beside
the copper tubing, is one end of a length of our medical-grade
tubing, and the air, which has bubbled up above the level of the
alcohol, is now drawn through it to the second stage filter.
In this smaller filter bottle, the incoming tube also rests on the
bottom, but it is covered with a large wadding of HEPA filter
material removed from a HEPA vacuum cleaner bag. It is then covered
with four ounces of powdered activated charcoal, which is in turn
sealed into place with a stuffing of more HEPA material. The piece
of tubing seen protruding from the side of the mouthpiece and
wrapping around the mask is connected to the air exhaust valve, a
small automotive one-way valve (called a PCV valve) that allows the
air you exhale to vent from the filter system without building up
positive pressure in the bottle. When you inhale, the small amount
of vacuum you apply to the filters and lines causes the valve to
close, preventing any outside air from returning to the mask. Since
the exhaust-valve tubing is six inches long, any air in the tubing
that might get sucked in before the ball can close is only air that
you have already filtered and breathed out, and therefore presents no
danger. A second PCV valve is placed in the line from the filters to
the mask, but reversed, so that it opens when you breathe in and
closes when you breathe out.
Activated Charcoal absorbs many times its own weight in contaminants
that pass through it, and while air flows freely through the charcoal
powder and the HEPA material; particles as small as 0.3 microns do
not.
Powdered Activated Charcoal is well known as the world's most
effective absorbent. Activated Charcoal is like a magnetic sponge,
that will adsorb any living or nonliving substance that has the
opposite electrical charge. It is made by cremating hardwood logs or
coconut shells. The resulting Charcoal is then steamed, producing
microscopic tunnels. Lastly, it is processed to produce sizes from
blocks down to powder. Different sizes of the resulting Activated
Charcoal are used for different purposes. When any gases or liquids
pass by &/or through the Activated Charcoal, the substances as
mentioned before will be attracted to it's surface. Activated
Charcoal can adsorb over 4,000 chemicals including drugs, poisons,
toxins, and heavy metals, plus pathogens! It is used in Air and
Water filters all around the world.
HEPA filtration technology was developed by the U.S. Atomic Energy
Commission to remove airborne radioactive particles. In order to be
considered true HEPA filter it must be capable of removing 99.97% of
particles as small as 0.3 microns. Today HEPA filter is used in such
places as hospitals and manufactures' clean rooms where clean air is
absolutely vital. ALL known bacteria will die when trapped in the
HEPA filters, for after passing through the alcohol and Activated
Charcoal elements, there is no moisture available to facilitate their
growth, and they lose their own internal moisture rapidly.
This mask, as ridiculous as it looks, should be functional in
protecting you against most bio-chemical attacks we may face, and
here's why:
BIO ATTACKS: Because biological toxins are not volatile, as are
chemical agents, and with rare exceptions, do not directly affect the
skin, an aggressor would have to present toxins to target populations
in the form of respirable aerosols, which allow contact with the more
vulnerable inner surfaces of the lung. This, fortunately, makes even
our homemade gas mask potentially effective against such a threat,
since it will absorb/trap particles as small as 0.3 microns. Almost
all biological attack threats are made up of aerosol particles
between 0.5 and 5 microns in diameter.
CHEMICAL ATTACKS: During an attack with Chemical agents, the
respiratory system must be protected against aerosols and gases in
the air (at the same time, it's a good idea to protect the rest of
the body against direct contact with chemical agents in the form of
liquid or solid particles).
In addition, the respiratory system must be protected against evaporating gas.
The filter in a protective mask consists of two parts; an aerosol
filter and a gas filter. The aerosol filter is built up of a layer
of fibers (HEPA). The particles are removed when they collide with
the fibers, to which they adhere. If it is a volatile substance that
adheres, it may subsequently evaporate from the aerosol filter.
Consequently, it is important to design a filter whereby the gas
filter component is located after the aerosol filter.
The gas filter component of the protective filter consists of
Activated Charcoal, which absorbs over 400 varieties of chemical
gases, including almost all known chem-warfare agents, and especially
those which are most feasible to produce for use in large scale
attacks.
What all this tech-speak means is that this inexpensive alternative
mask has a reasonable chance of keeping you alive for a period of
time while you make your way to a shelter to await the "all-clear"
and when I say "inexpensive", I mean it the whole thing was built
for less than $30.00 in off-the-shelf parts and gathered junk, and
only took about four hours of work!
The parts list runs as follows:
1 15 inch automotive inner-tube, scrounged free from a local tire store
1 pair of eye-protectors, $1.88 at Wal-Mart
1 Oxygen mask w/tubing, $3.00 from a local Medical Supplies store
1 tube "Shoe Goo" rubber cement, $2.97, Wal-Mart
1 4 oz. Bottle of Activated Charcoal powder, $11.00, local drug store
2 small PCV valves, $2.49 each, Wal-Mart
1 package Hoover True HEPA vacuum cleaner Bags, $3.97, Wal-Mart
1 14-inch length 3/8 inch copper tubing, from an old air conditioner
1 bottle rubbing alcohol, $.88, Wal-Mart
1 2-liter pop bottle, from my trash can
1 20 oz Gatorade bottle, ditto Take a look:
Parts photo
http://www.sierratimes.com/images/mask/parts.jpg
All I did was cut out a fourteen-inch section of the inner-tube, and
make cutouts for the eye-protectors and the nose/mouth mask, then
push them through the holes and staple them in place.
The seams I coated with a liberal application of Shoe Goo, to ensure
that they won't leak or come apart if you've ever used that stuff,
you'll know what I mean! And, by the way eye protectors have many
little air holes around their housings be sure to plug them all with
a layer of Shoe Goo!
Next, I removed the HEPA material from the vacuum cleaner bags in
preparation for assembling and attaching the filters. This is easy
Just cut the top off the bag, and gently pull the HEPA liner out of
the bag. Be careful not to poke holes in it.
Assembling the filter bottles is the most difficult part, and even
that isn't hard. Drill two 3/8 inch holes in the cap, like so:
Make sure the copper tubing is clean, and push it through one of the
holes in the cap so that it extends all the way to the bottom. It's
best if you can bend the end so that the opening cannot push against
he bottom of the bottle, then use pliers to crimp the end slightly
this will cause the air that comes through it to break up into small
bubbles in the alcohol. Next, cut the oxy-bottle-connector from the
clear neoprene hose that came with your oxygen mask, and push the new
end through the other hole in the cap, but only a short distance, say
about an inch or two. This end must always remain above the level of
the alcohol in the bottle, and the bottle must always remain upright.
Seal the tubes into the cap with lots of Shoe Goo!
The smaller bottle is for the dry part of the filter. Again, drill
two holes in the cap for this bottle, and then cut the neoprene line
about twenty inches from where it enters the cap of the larger
bottle, and push this end through one of the holes you just drilled.
It should extend all the way to the bottom of the smaller bottle with
a couple of inches to spare, so that you can lay it on the bottom of
the bottle with cap still off. Now, take about a ten-inch square of
the HEPA material and fold it into fourths, then wrap this around the
end of the tube you just put in the cap. Secure it with a big glob
of Shoe Goo and let it dry thoroughly. Once it's dry, let it hang to
the bottom of the bottle and pour in the Activated Charcoal.
Now take the rest of your HEPA material and pack it into the bottle.
It doesn't matter if it gets pretty crumpled you want as much
surface area exposed to the air coming through it as you can get!
Once it's packed in, put the cap on and put a bead of Shoe Goo around
the seam of the cap.
Take the end of the neoprene hose that is now left hanging from your
mask, cut off a six-inch length and lay it aside, then push the
remaining end through the last hole in the cap, only about an inch,
and secure both hoses in place in their holes with more Goo!
Now, all that's left is to add the check valves, and hook it all up!
This is a little tricky, so I'll go into heavy detail:
On each side of your oxygen mask, there are some holes arranged in
about a quarter-inch circle drill or punch through one or two of
them on one side, until you have a 3/8 inch hole, then use Shoe Goo
to close up all of the others, on both sides. Take the six-inch
length of tubing you laid aside a few moments ago, and push it into
the hole in the mask, then secure it with Shoe Goo, and use more Goo
to glue it alongside the mask so that it curves upward around towards
the ear. Now, grab on of the PCV valves and look at the arrow on the
side of it to see which way it allows air to flow. You want to
attach it to the hose so that it allows air to come I from the hose,
but not go back in in other words, the arrow should point AWAY from
the hose! Seal the connection with Shoe Goo!
The final step is to connect the main filter line to the mask, and
make sure that any holes in the connector (some have them) are sealed
with Goo, and then cut the line about four inches below the mask, and
get your other PCV valve. This time, you want the arrow to point
TOWARDS THE MASK this will allow air to come in from the filters,
but will not let your exhales go back into the filter bottles.
Instead, this will force your exhaled breath to exit the mask through
the exhaust valve that we put alongside the mask itself. Put the
valve in place, then seal both ends of it to the hoses with Goo to
make sure you don't have a leak.
Putting the mask on is a little tricky, and you need to practice
until you can get it on and tightly in place in about four or five
seconds. Just pull the mask over your head, like a ski mask, but
pull gently on the front of it and firmly on the back until it sits
snugly in place and lines up on your eyes and mouth. Adjust it for
as much comfort as you can manage remember, it's part of an inner
tube and may be a little tight. This can be relieved partly by
cutting away part of the back of the mask, making a hole that the
back of your head can protrude into. If it's still too tight, I'd
suggest getting a bigger inner tube and start again I would never
cut the back open and try to make straps work on it.
Well, that's about it You now have a gas mask that costs little, and
while it may not be pretty, it will give you a lot better chance of
staying alive than you'll have without one.
I'm making these for my whole family, and am working on a more
portable design. If you have any questions, feel free to email me
directly at redneck at sierratimes.com.
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