Anthrax!

[Matthew Gaylor]

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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