Barbara,

There are so many different "military gas mask" specifications, you would do
better to stay away from them unless you are looking for specific
protection.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, e-mail Majord...@list.zetnet.co.uk
with the body of the message containing "unsubscribe ppe-news-list"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Barbara,
In the Workplace Injury & Illness Prevention Program Manual that is
available through my organization, Safety Partners, and written to both OSHA
and NIOSH specs, it clearly states that all respirators, regardless of the
manufacturer, have identical protection factors and color coding.
It is far more important what the color of the cartridge is in the cartridge
holder and whether industrial cartridge fits into that particular military
issue mask. I will include the information from our our manual on this for
clarification. For more information on this manual check out
www.safetypartners.com
I would also advise you to do a tented fit test on the masks in question. If
you need help with this let me know.
I hope this helps.

Kevin Michal
Client Services Manager
Safety Partners
Prevention = Profitability
Seattle/San Diego
1-800-266-7341
___________________________________________________________________________ _
_______

7.  Respirator Selection, Use & Maintenance

Respirators are a last resort of protection from hazardous atmospheres.
Whenever possible, ventilation and chemical substitution are used to reduce
the hazard to a safe level.  In order to be effective, respirators must be
appropriate to the hazard, used correctly and maintained properly.  All
respirators and filters will be NIOSH or MSHA approved.

 7.1 Respirator Selection
 All respirators, regardless of manufacturer, have identical protection
factors and  color-coding.  This information is used to determine
appropriate respirator  selection.

  7.1.1 Protection Factor
  A respirator's Protection Factor (PF) is defined as "the ratio of the
ambient   concentration of the substance to the concentration of the
substance inside the respirator at the breathing zone of the wearer".  For
example, if the concentration of a contaminant is 100 ppm, a respirator
with a PF of 10 reduces the exposure of the user to 10 ppm.  The PF is
determined under ideal use conditions.

  Full-Face Air Purifying Respirator--PF 100
  Half or Quarter Face Air Purifying Respirator-PF 10
  Particulate Filter Dust Mask-PF 10

7.1.2 Cartridge Color Coding

AIRBORNE CONTAMINANT CARTRIDGE COLOR

Acid gases
                White
Hydrocyanic acid gas
                White with a 1/2-inch green stripe around the
                bottom of the cartridge.
Chlorine gas
                White with a 1/2-inch yellow stripe around the
                bottom of the cartridge.
Organic vapors
                Black
Ammonia gas
                Green
Acid gases and organic vapors
                Yellow
Hydrocyanic acid gas and chloropicrin vapor
                Yellow with 1/2-inch blue strip around the bottom of the
                cartridge.
Acid gases, organic vapors, and ammonia vapors
                Brown
Radioactive materials (except tritium or noble gases) and
dust, fumes, and mists
                Purple (magenta)
Particulates (dust, fumes, mists, fogs, or smokes) in combination with any
of the above gases or vapors

                Cartridge color above plus a 1/2-inch gray stripe
                around the top of the cartridge.  (This type of color
                coding is rarely used.  More often, a separate filter is
                attached to the gas/vapor cartridge.)