Lake Erie gas mask

[ron 57]

Here's a gas mask we were issued circa 1980 or so. It's made by a subsidiary of Smith and Wesson. They were purchased from a S&W police supply. They spent their entire career in the equipment box in the trunk of the cruiser or in the supply cabinet. They were never used.
The cloth bag was originally green but was dyed black when myself and a couple of other officers decided they should match our dyed GI surplus gear.

 

[opoefc]

ron57, I hope your dept has de-accessed these as I would be leary of the protection a 40+ yr old mask can provide against modern irritants! However, if you have obtained these from dep't surplus disposals, Ebay would be an interesting to place to put a few, as S&W collectors might run up the bidding considerably ! Ed

 

[ron 57]

Thanks Ed. I should have been more clear. They have been out of service for many years. I just never turned mine in. It's spent 25 years or so on a shelf in the basement closet.
I think my corduroy leisure suit is in there too!

 

[Heinz]

That does not appear to be a NIOSH approved gas mask. I note the instructions cover CN and CS crowd control agents. These are actually primarily particulates, irritant smoke. Best guess it has a particulate filter and a thin layer of activated carbon. Keep it dry and in its case and it will go bad at about the same rate as uranium. Neat old police mask probably based on a Military model and it may predate OSHA and NIOSH requirements. Probably still works, leisure suit I can't say