Salt Lake City, Utah - If it was not for Steve Dixon's professional curiosity, many unsuspecting Halloween revelers may have been unintentionally exposed to asbestos, a potentially lethal toxin. After purchasing a Russian GP5 gas mask at an area Army Navy surplus store for his grandson's Halloween costume, Dixon, a laboratory technician with Dixon Information, tested the gas mask for asbestos.
The filter of the Russian GP5 gas mask tested positive for asbestos, a known carcinogen or cancer-causing agent. Four other environmental laboratories corroborated Dixon's asbestos findings.
Popular for Halloween costumes, the gas mask sold out of several Salt Lake City Army Navy surplus stores before Dixon could share his findings. However, if the filters from the gas masks are removed, wearing the gas mask for Halloween should not pose a health threat.
Manufactured in the 1970s, the Russian GP5 gas mask was typically stocked in fallout shelters during the height of the Cold War. Asbestos was a common material used in filters of many different types of gas masks, including those used in World War II. Gas masks manufactured during the Cold War typically contain activated charcoal in the filters instead of asbestos. Dixon's findings dispute that.
During World War II, blue asbestos was used in the filters of gas masks, and as a result, many servicemen were exposed to asbestos, and later developed mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Further, factory workers who manufactured World War II era gas masks were also exposed to the carcinogenic material during construction.
Asbestos is not a manmade material, rather it is a mineral set prized for its flame resistance and insulating properties. When asbestos is disturbed – through the mining or manufacturing process – small particles contaminate the air, leading to exposure. Breathing in asbestos fibers not only causes extensive lung damage, but also can lead to mesothelioma cancer, lung cancer and asbestosis.
For Halloween revelers interested in period military costumes should take precautionary measures when purchasing and wearing gas masks. Regardless of when a gas mask was manufactured, remove the filter before use.
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