NOT EFFICIENT.
CIVILIAN GAS MASKS. , TESTS FAIL TN LONDON. LONDON, Aug. 17.' Startling results followed tests of the efficiency of the 40,000,000' gas masks stored for civilian use in emergency. These masks are estimated to have cost the Government £6,000,000. The test, organised by the Daily Express, was carried out in one of London’s air raid precautions centres. Fourteen men and women were given official, civilian gas masks, selected at random from the centre’s store of several hundreds.
In the official gas chamber, two types of smoke were liberated. Only one of the 14 persons wearing the masks obtained protection. The remaining 13 suffered in varying degrees. / One man, overcome after four minutes, lay writhing on the ground in great pain. One woman remained for eight minutes, and was then led out, coughing uncontrollably. Seven of the 14 persons undergoing the test had to leave the gas chamber before the full 10-minute period had elapsed. Several scientists and officials of the air raid precautions department were present at the test. The masks used for the final test were first tested for leakage or possible misfits. The final tests, which are alleged to have proved the masks to be ineffective, were made with varying densities of arsenical smokes. The first was diphenylamine clilorasine, and the second diphenyl cyanarsine. In a leading article, the Daily Express says: “Arsensical gas does not kill It is a panic producer, designed to frighten the population. But since £6,000,000 has been spent by the Government in producing these masks the public has a right to know why they are not 100 per cent efficient.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19380825.2.135
Bibliographic details
Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 228, 25 August 1938, Page 12
Word Count
268NOT EFFICIENT. Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 228, 25 August 1938, Page 12
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Manawatu Standard. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.