Respirators design issues

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. 

Phase 3 - The subjects were issued 100% cotton denim coveralls of uniform design and weight. These subjects were divided into two groups, one wearing Scotchgard treated uniforms and one wearing non-treated coveralls. During this study phase, respirators were not worn. As in the first and second phase, pads and urines were collected daily. 

Artigas A, Bernard GR, Carlet J, et al., and the Consensus Committee. The American-European consensus on ARDS 2. Ventilatory, pharmacologic, supportive therapy, study design strategies, and issues related to recovery and remodeling. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998 157 1332-1347. 

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