# Face Mask I need



## catfishhoward (Sep 8, 2018)

With the fires going on in California it got me thinking I need a face mask of some kind since I have asthma. It would be nice to have a all round mask for multiple uses, since I live near the CDC it would need to be used for viruses as well as chemicals, smoke and ash. I guess a full face mask would be best to protect my eyes as well.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

The N-95 is used in the hospital for TB which is airborne. They are recommending it for woodsmoke particles. There are several sizes. They fit-test employees by spraying something like a saccharin spray around. You can taste it if the mask doesn't fit properly.

The nice thing about the N-95, is that it's easy. A heavy respirator would be less likely to be worn.

I wasn't aware that the CDC has release of germs & that they travel very far?


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> It would be nice to have a all round mask for multiple uses, since I live near the CDC it would need to be used for viruses as well as chemicals, smoke and ash.


There is no such thing as an all around mask to protect you against all possibilities, particularly when you get into chemicals. 
However the N95 will cover the smoke, ash, and common airborne viruses.

Here is an OSHA write up on the different types of respiratory protection available.
https://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/respiratory_protection_bulletin_2011.html


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

The N-95 doesn't protect against gases, even in smoke & not against some very tiny microorganisms.


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

Years ago I tried to enter a burning building while wearing a gas mask made for chemical agents (riot gear mask), basically a cheaper version of the U.S. military gas mask. It did nothing.


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## catfishhoward (Sep 8, 2018)

Oso954 said:


> There is no such thing as an all around mask to protect you against all possibilities, particularly when you get into chemicals.
> However the N95 will cover the smoke, ash, and common airborne viruses.
> 
> Here is an OSHA write up on the different types of respiratory protection available.
> https://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/respiratory_protection_bulletin_2011.html


I found this on the site quote "Chemical Cartridge/Gas Mask Respirator: Gas masks are also known as "air-purifying respirators" because they filter or clean chemical gases out of the air as you breathe. This respirator includes a facepiece or mask, and a cartridge or canister. Straps secure the facepiece to the head. The cartridge may also have a filter to remove particles.

Gas masks are effective only if used with the correct cartridge or filter (these terms are often used interchangeably) for a particular biological or chemical substance."

I found this mask, now I have to figure out what cartridges I need? I look for one that is good for home fire, forest fire, viruses and nuclear if there is one.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

catfishhoward said:


> I found this on the site quote "Chemical Cartridge/Gas Mask Respirator: Gas masks are also known as "air-purifying respirators" because they filter or clean chemical gases out of the air as you breathe. This respirator includes a facepiece or mask, and a cartridge or canister. Straps secure the facepiece to the head. The cartridge may also have a filter to remove particles.
> 
> Gas masks are effective only if used with the correct cartridge or filter (these terms are often used interchangeably) for a particular biological or chemical substance."
> 
> I found this mask, now I have to figure out what cartridges I need? I look for one that is good for home fire, forest fire, viruses and nuclear if there is one.


Maybe a couple different kinds of mask would be practical. They're going to call the police if you wear that in the grocery store!

The air is "Hazardous" here. I saw scores of people with N-95 masks in Safeway & Wal-Mart. Probably mostly fire survivors.


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## catfishhoward (Sep 8, 2018)

Forget this, I have been looking for over 2 hours for filters for certain things and can't find a clear answer what each filter is for, just a bunch of codes or letters, just because it says airborne particles doesn't tell me a list of what they consider airborne particles and what do they consider organic vapor, there should be a list, wright? Nothing on a filter for a house fire which would stops smoke, carbon dioxide and other fumes. I'll call the company on Monday.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

catfishhoward said:


> Forget this, I have been looking for over 2 hours for filters for certain things and can't find a clear answer what each filter is for, just a bunch of codes or letters, just because it says airborne particles doesn't tell me a list of what they consider airborne particles and what do they consider organic vapor, there should be a list, wright? Nothing on a filter for a house fire which would stops smoke, carbon dioxide and other fumes. I'll call the company on Monday.


I think you mean carbon monoxide. You want to be able to exhale carbon dioxide& not have it buildup.

You may be asking too much. A mask for everything would be heavy & unwieldy. The firefighters wear air tanks, also. If it's just smoke then a simpler mask would do.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Check with a local volunteer fire dept for recommendations.


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## catfishhoward (Sep 8, 2018)

Nik333 said:


> I think you mean carbon monoxide. You want to be able to exhale carbon dioxide& not have it buildup.
> 
> You may be asking too much. A mask for everything would be heavy & unwieldy. The firefighters wear air tanks, also. If it's just smoke then a simpler mask would do.


Yes, carbon monoxide. Found a good YouTube channel and he said I might be best to buy a NATO 40mm mask with a ABEK-P3﻿ filter so I will look into that for smoke and viruses and just use a small mask from Home Depot for mold since the filter for the 40mm mask are more money and I want to leave them in the package until I really need them for an emergency. 

The forest department did a control burn this summer and I got stuck driving in the smoke for 5 minutes which started worrying me since I almost died at a camp fire once when we burned some wood and I had a asthma reaction that closed my airway, thank god I have my inhaler.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

catfishhoward said:


> Yes, carbon monoxide. Found a good YouTube channel and he said I might be best to buy a NATO 40mm mask with a ABEK-P3﻿ filter so I will look into that for smoke and viruses and just use a small mask from Home Depot for mold since the filter for the 40mm mask are more money and I want to leave them in the package until I really need them for an emergency.
> 
> The forest department did a control burn this summer and I got stuck driving in the smoke for 5 minutes which started worrying me since I almost died at a camp fire once when we burned some wood and I had a asthma reaction that closed my airway, thank god I have my inhaler.


You might consider a car that filters your air. I have only mild asthma occaisionally but wood smoke really affects me.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Nik333 said:


> You might consider a car that filters your air. I have only mild asthma occaisionally but wood smoke really affects me.



That's an interesting point, Nik. An awful lot of vehicles now have replaceable filters in their HVAC systems. Possibly not top of the to-do list but I would think thousands of vehicles will need theirs replaced after the fires die down. Those and the engine air filters, especially first responder vehicles.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

lenaitch said:


> That's an interesting point, Nik. An awful lot of vehicles now have replaceable filters in their HVAC systems. Possibly not top of the to-do list but I would think thousands of vehicles will need theirs replaced after the fires die down. Those and the engine air filters, especially first responder vehicles.


It makes a huge difference. I've been driving a lot in "the worst air in the world" reputedly. When the car switches to outside air, I start to cough. I'm not sure why it does switch.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

If you are really smoke sensitive, you should get a car with a HEPA cabin filter. A lot of the car cabin filters are 40 micron filters (roughly the diameter of a human hair). A HEPA filter is usually a 0.3 micron filter.

The HEPA filter is going to catch a lot of the smaller smoke particulates that the 40 micron filter will pass through.

A common mfg replacement schedule is 12k-15k miles, or once a year, which ever comes first. 

I'm waiting for the smoke to clear out of the Bay Area and will be changing the cabin filters as soon as that happens. The dirty filter can hold the smoke smell even if it is still filtering the air. So you may have a lingering smell of smoke long after the smoke clears if you do not change the filter.


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

Here are two pics of the SF skyline taken a week apart. They were shot by Marc Stokes who works there.
Alcatraz is closed (last I heard) due to the smoke.


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