Many people are using World War II gas masks as a novelty item unaware that they may contain harmful asbestos. Every citizen in Great Britain, including infants were issued with a gas mask in 1939, (start of Second World War) as protection against mustard gas attacks by Germany. The masks – made of black rubber, glass visor and mouthpiece which contained a perforated tin (formed in the shape of a tin can) and a block of asbestos. The asbestos block was added to absorb and filter out poisonous gases allowing the wearer safer breathing.
Why Is The Asbestos in Gas Masks Harmful?
Asbestos consists of fibres which when inhaled into the lungs can lead to asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. The minute fibers are capable of stimulating chronic inflammatory responses in the pleura, (cavity that surrounds the lungs) and inducing an array of cellular responses, such as interfering with the mesothelial cells, and damaging DNA that regulates cell division.
World War II gas masks were manufactured using two types of asbestos – ‘crocidolite’ (blue asbestos) and chrysotile (white asbestos). Blue asbestos is considered to be deadlier than white asbestos, but the carcinogenic risk from white asbestos classifies it as a number 1 human carcinogen, as there is sufficient clinical evidence of asbestos related disease among people that have had exposure to it.
Asbestos Contaminated Word War II Gas Masks Removed from Museum
A collection of World War II gas masks had to be removed from Gunnersbury Park Museum recently. There were health and safety concerns regarding asbestos fibres being released during visitor handling. The gas masks were decontaminated at a specialised asbestos removal unit and returned to the museum.
What Safety Precautions Can I Take If I Own a Word War II Gas Mask?
Although people feared the use of chemical weapons in World War II – It never materialised. A lot of gas masks were donated to museums. However, some people have managed to purchase them from second hand shops and auction internet sites such as Ebay. World War II gas masks are over 60 years old and the older asbestos is – the more friable it becomes (easily crumbles), making it more hazardous as more fibres are easily released through disintegration.
If you are in possession of a World War II gas mask, the best thing to do, until you have the asbestos removed professionally, is not to handle it or try the mask on, and place it in an enclosed bag or container.
is the gas mask in this page got asbestos as i do actually have it AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Hello Julian,
Yes the one in the photo does contain an asbestos sheet. I haven’t come across a model that doesn’t as yet.
THE POST WW II GERMAN M54 (ALMOST IDENTICLE TO THE WW II M38).DOES IT HAVE ASBESTOS? 4MONTHS AGO I TOOK A BREATH AND HAD A COUGHING/SNEEZING FIT (UNUSUAL,LIKE A DOG!)NOW I HAVE A CONSTANT FIRE BEHIND MY BREAST BONE.GP THINKS IT’S STOMACH ACID..
HEL,PLEASE ?
Michael – Please email me with more detail regarding the Gas mask usage and duration.
Thank you,
Admin.
Does the cold war era Soviet Army 40mm NBC Filter that goes with the PMG and GP-5 contain asbestos? I have heard that it does from some people, yet others say it just has charcoal. I havent breathed through it yet in my Soviet PMG mask yet just to be safe.
As far as I am aware the use of asbestos in gas mask filters ceased to exist after WW2. GP-5 filters were not built prior to the 1970′s where asbestos was widely used in filters. However – filters that cover the activated charcoal in old gas masks will have degraded due to being exposed to moisture and heat, hence – the broken down charcoal dust/particles may be inhaled by the wearer.
Inhalation of charcoal dust may be a source of an irritant to people that have an underlying respiratory illnesses such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and could exacerbate symptoms.
ADVICE: I would recommend that one researches the safety of inhaling charcoal in old gas masks. I am assuming however – that relatively short use of the masks pose very little health risks to the user with no respiratory conditions.
That the particulate filtering part of WWII gas mask filter contains asbestos is indeed something one should take into account.
Please note though that in post-war/”modern” filters (say made after the 1950s or so) instead of asbestor glassfibre or filter paper is used instead to catch particulates. There’s a lot of speculation on the net whether soviet NBC filters contain asbestos; youtube is full of teenage boys pondering the issue… (sic). What the user might inhale though is, as said before, activated charcoal. Usually a thin particle filter is in place to keep the charcoal in place, with age this barrier may fail. I cannot in any instance recommend people to open the filter and use the charcoal for say water filtration (there’s medical or food grade activated charcoal for this) as the charcoal in modern mask filters is laced with various metal salts and other chemicals in order to have the charcoal react to and bind certain hazardous agents that would otherwise pass.
For example, in the Nordic countries, still-sealed A2B2E2K2 filters (informally ABEK2, modern combination filters according the European standard that filter out even some agents encountered in an industrial accident such as ammonia) are classified as hazardous waste (even those that have not been used) due to the chemicals that the charcoal has been prepared with. Thus one should not tinker with the contents of old filters, for really old ones due to asbestos and for newer ones for the possibility of “spiked” charcoal.
Ref: Volunteer Civil Defence Officer. Thank you for your contribution. Very useful information. (Admin)
An interesting post. Thank you.
When you say “World War II gas masks were manufactured using asbestos”, are you referring to the face mask itself, the detachable filter that screws on to the side of the mask or both?
I have a WW2 gas mask identical to the one shown at this URL
http://www.fu-kit.com/product.php/415/genuine-british-wwii-gas-mask-respirator-bag
I am curious as to whether the “block of asbestos” you refer to is located only in the green cylinder that hangs off the the left side or whether is is also contained in the two air vents (the front one and the one on the left the the filter screws into).
I’ve tried the mask on a couple of times (only for about 20 seconds) but never with the green cylinder attached (which is actually still sealed) so I’m curious as to whether I’ve been exposed to asbestos or not.
Hello Aaron,
As far as I am aware – The asbestos is only in the removeable cannister.
Hence – I am sure you will be OK.
The asbestos will be the blue (more potent) variety as these types with the interchangable cannisters were issued to soldiers and not civilians. They could wear the cannisters on the left side of the mask so that they could shoot from their right shoulder more easily.
Don’t ever attempt to wear the mask with the cannister, or open it. I can’t understand these second-hand shops selling these dangerous masks to the public and getting way with it.
People think that asbestos is safer as it ages but it is far more potent as it disintegrates and gives off more fibres.
Kind regards,
Admin.