NBC Page Updates/Comments
Scope and Mission Statement:
I am fed up with all of the buying/selling/trading of NBC protective gear by undereducated or uneducated people on the Internet today. This frustration has led me to construct this page as YOUR one-stop source for details about which NBC gear is to be avoided or discarded. I know many who find they own things on these lists will feel bad about the financial loss, but that is better than losing a life to defective equipment. The scope of this page is individual equipment for a ground soldier and will not include aviation equipment information unless I find something of note.
Who am I and why am I in a position to do this? For one I am simply aware of the inevitable terrorist attack on the USA and I care about others and want to share my knowledge. I am also a soldier in the US military, where this information comes directly from, and occasionally hear some interesting things that sometimes alarm and other times comfort me. In civilian life I am the NBC instructor and equipment supervisor for a regional SWAT team.
Please email me with any and all questions and amplifications. I buy/sell/trade gear myself, and if something is questionable I will let you know. Always looking for new things from around the world.
MISSION STATEMENT REVISION 9/18/03:
I have received many queries about TAP equipment (Toxicological Agent Protective, worn by personnel expected to be in direct contact with strong concentrations of CB agents) and I am glad to respond to those. However if I were to list and to comment on every single TAP item as well as regular equipment, I would be writing for days! Suffice to say that TAP gear is out on the public market and it has its uses, but most consumers do not have a need for it. TAP hoods for the M40 series of masks are frequently on eBay, but I do not recommend them to the average person since they are more uncomfortable than regular hoods and it is not possible to change a mask filter while wearing a TAP hood.
UPDATES:
9/17/06 - Added link to M45 mask TM, added and edited some comments about the M45 mask on the Masks page.
4/10/06 - Killed some dead external links, added a few details to the Gas Mask Filters page.
9/7/05 - Added M45 mask-relevant NSNs to NSN page.
3/18/05 - Added NBC Gear and The Law page, which EVERYONE visiting this site should check out.
1/25/05 - Added M45 and M50 gas mask information to the mask page.
11/12/04 - Added a link to a good, thorough, official list of NSNs.
11/11/04 - Added glove/boot shelf life info, JSLIST shelf life info, details on new JSGPM mask, and mask hood shelf life.
3/17/04 - The main page is looking cluttered, so I am going to make each category into its own page, for example, masks are now on their own page and you can bookmark just that page if you want.
12/31/03 - Added info on M291/295 shelf life and edited a few things about the M40 series.
12/18/03 - Thanks to an NBC NCO, modified info on C2 series filter dates. Also info on 10th Mountain Div use of the velcro-type hood for M40 series mask.
11/10/03 - Added info on 2003/04 C2A1 packaging.
10/11/03 - Killed the myth of the M40A2 mask, thanks to a soldier who emailed me. Also updated C2A1 filter shelf life as being same as the C2. And because someone posed the question, I added information on where to find the manufacture dates on M291/295 decon kits. Good question, wish I would have thought to write that info earlier.
9/18/03 - Added many more NSNs to the valid NSN page. Revised mission statement. Started this page to clear the main page of a lot of text.
2/15/03 - Once more I am noticing my emails of questions from this site are up into the dozens each day, and the site is getting hundreds of hits. I felt it was time to share some words with you all. I do have lots more info I would love to get online ASAP that is keeping within scope of this page, however time constraints and whatnot are slowing that down. I work full time in the law enforcement field, I am an NCO in a military unit that has been very busy lately, and I volunteer with local civil assistance organizations. So in light of recent events, it's needless to say I haven't had a free day in months. But keep checking back here for more additions and amplifications! I hope to get some great new stuff up within a week. Take care of yourselves and of course email me with ANY and ALL questions.
12/21/02 - Finally bringing lots of more documents online that I have wanted to share for a while...scroll down the page to find the various new links including excellent official information as well as my M40 identification checklist.
8/11/02 - By popular demand, I plan on getting my self-written guides to determine M40 versus M40A1 masks as well as a US mask sizing guide online soon. These will be geared toward a nonmilitary audience so servicemembers may disregard.
2/26/02 - A few new things are scattered about these pages in my first update since 6/15/01. Boy how times change! I was getting a few dozen hits a month before 9/11/01, but after that the public awareness went skyrocketing and I have over 4200 hits. Keep 'em rolling in!
