Evening star., 1941-10-18
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field,
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

A total of 100000 gas masks-which
United States Chemical Warfare officers
describe as "the best in the world
soon will be ready for American civilians.
This is the first step in production of
total of 37,5OOoOO, enough to supply
everybody in the so-called strategic
area" of the United States-the Atlantic,
Gulf and Pacific Coasts.
There are about 5O0OO,00O persons in
this area, it is estimated by the Office
of Civilian Defense. The present plan is
that Immediately danger develops H.
900 1000 women and children will be evac-
uated to the interior. At least another
million will be engaged in defense indus
tries and special defense work. For those
quite different type of mask has been
designed.
The manufacture of the 5000,000,
which now awaits congressional authori-
zation, is intended as an educational
order to get manufacturing facilities
RpdIeu 10 Tile IdSh VI Jul llllls ouU dP-
proximately $500, 900 month. The plans
embrace special Mickey Mouse" masks
for children, with their face pieces made
of brightly -colored rubber expected to
appeal to the youngsters.
The Chemical Warfare Service also is
experimenting at its Edgewood Md
arsenal with paper capes which will be
a complete protection against mustard
gas for two or three hours and which
can be worn by field workers and
thrown away when a gas attack is over.
The protection of American civilians
against gas has been entrusted by the
Office of Civilian Defense to the Chemi-
cal Warfare Service in order to get the
benefit of its years Of experience in gas
mask designing. 1t is one of the consid-
erations of first Importance. So far as
is known, up to the present gas has not
been used as an offensive weapon in
Europe. This is due partly to the fact
that all the European nations have pro-
vided almost complete protection in
their civilians. A gas attack would be
largely a waste of material. 1t might
we'll be devastating against an unpro-
tected population. The Office of Civil
ian Defense does not intend that Amer
leans should be caught unprotected.
The gas mask which will be manufac-
tured for distribution is the result of
years of intensive experimentation on
the part of chemical warfare officers
and their collaborators in various univer-
sites. Among the fears, at present, is that
private manufacturers will start turning
out gas masks of an inferior design but
more aesthetic appeal which can be sold
cheap. Rubber priorities soon will be
asked of the Office of Production Man.
agement for the Chemical Warfare Serv-
ice type of mask which. it is claimed, will
afford absolute protection from any war
gas for several hours.
Special attention has been paid to the
non -combatant service mask, designed to
give longer and even more complete pro-
lection to men and women, such as work.
ers in defense industries. air raid war
dens, etc, who will be obliged to remain
in an area of gas concentration. This
differs from both military and civilian
masks used in the past in several essen
tial details.
The face piece is of rubber. nodded
to the contours of the face so that it is
bound to fit snugly.
A design has been perfected so that
inhaled cold air from the outside passes
over the inside of the plastic eyepieceS.
In this way the same temperature will
be maintained both on the inside and
outside of these windows This will
prevent Jogging of the windows. one of
the chief discomforts of gas masks in
the past.
A third improvement is in the mouth
piece. so designed that it acts as dia-
phragm so that a masked person can
talk almost as plainly as anybody else.
The mask planned for civilians in the
past has been made of rubberoid COM
position. 1t fitted snugly enough but
chemical warfare officers feel that face
pieces of real rubber at least will give
the wearers an additional confidence.
The non -combatant mask is only
nodded slightly to the contour of the
ldCc, UuL lIluCll IIlUIc 81 lIldll ClNiudll
masks have been in the past. Complete
molding would be impossible because of
the mass production contemplated. 1t
would be of no value unless one were
expected to remain for hours in a gassed
area. 1t has not the same mouthpiece
although the wearer can talk plainly
enough.
The Army mask may not have the same
aesthetic appeal as the one designed by
the Navy for its civilian workers. Like
most European masks it has its charcoal
containing canister in front of the chin.
The Navy mask has two fiat, circular
charcoal containers against the cheeks.
The Chemical Warfare Service civilian
mask, however, is far less clumsy in
appearance than those provided by most
European countries for their populations.
Their primary objective. say the Army
chemists, has been to design a mask
which will afford complete protection
against gas. Comfort and aesthetics
have been, at the best, secondary objec-
tives, although neither has been over
looked. The civilian mask, they declare,
is as good or better than any supplied