NOT EFFICIENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23123, 23 August 1938, Page 9

NOT EFFICIENT

CIVILIAN GAS MASKS TESTS FAIL IN LONDON LONDON, August 17 Startling results followed tests of the efficiency of the 40,000,000 gas masks stored for civilian use in emergency. Those 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. Fourtecn 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 ehlorasine, and the second diphenyl cyanarsine. In a leading article, the Daily Express says: "Arsenical gas docs 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 j are not 100 per cent efficient." I