General Service respirator

The S10 is due to be replaced by the General Service Respirator (GSR) in 2006/2007, to meet the continued changing requirements. The GSR design is yet to be finalized, but will incorporate further improvements to protection and equipment compatibility, with improved vision and speech, and reduced breathing resistance. 

The realization that it was more economical to have a single respirator design for all three services led to the introduction of the General Service (GS) respirator, familiar to all those who served in the Second World War. Over 25 million of these respirators were made in the UK alone, and issued to all Commonwealth forces and Civil Defence Corps. The GS respirator consisted of a rubber facepiece with stockinette covering, flat circular eyepieces, a diver-type outlet valve, an elastic webbing harness and a filter canister fitted with an inlet valve. The canister, worn on the body and attached to the facepiece by a hose, was filled with activated charcoal granules, with a wool-asbestos mixture added later, and impregnated charcoal added even later. 

Emergency treatment depends on the immediate toxic effects of BZP and TFMPP. High blood pressure, abnormal heart rate or rhythm, seizures or convulsions, fever, and abnormal movements all have specific treatments and may require hospitalization for intravenous medications and general supportive care. Coma or decreased level of consciousness, respiratory depression, difficulty breathing, and severe allergic reaction may require treatment in an intensive care unit and assisted respiration. If a user experiences any untoward effects, or if someone inadvertently takes a much larger dose of medicinal piperazines than prescribed, it is prudent to contact a doctor, emergency medical services, or poison control. 

While developments described above were underway in the UK, the USA developed a variety of respirators for various purposes, including the M9 and M17 for general purpose and infantry use, followed by the M40 , and the M24 and M25 , followed by the M42 and M43 , for tank crews. All these respirators are similar in the way they operate, but their designs differ according to the requirements of particular user groups. These respirators are to be replaced by the new M50 Joint Services General Purpose Mask by... 

It is well known that storage (preconditioning) and use in humidities above 65% greatly reduce the service life of respirators. The following generalizations should be noted ... 

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