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Wartime helmets and gas masks 'dangerous', schools told


BEAST
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How long until this thinking cross the pond?

 

Sabrejet may have already posted this, but I haven't been able to locate the article on the forum. This is excerpted from a BBC news website. To read the entire article click on the link at the bottom of the page.

 

Wartime helmets and gas masks 'dangerous', schools told

 

By Judith Burns Education reporter, BBC News

 

 

"Schools should not let children touch or try on wartime helmets and gas masks as they may contain asbestos, says updated advice.

 

Instead they should be double-bagged and destroyed or made safe if they are not clearly shown to be asbestos free, says the Health and Safety Executive.

 

Teachers are increasingly using wartime artefacts in the run-up to the World War One centenary later this year.

 

Historians say destroying these relics would be "a disaster".

 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says it analysed a number of vintage helmets and gas masks at the request of the Department for Education (DfE).

 

Toxic materials

 

The analysis showed that the majority of the masks did contain asbestos, often the more dangerous crocidolite, or blue asbestos.

 

Only a minority were asbestos free and it was difficult to tell just by looking at a mask whether it was safe or not, said the researchers.

 

The HSE also consulted the Imperial War Museums (IWM) about their policies on gas masks and on World War One British Army helmets known as Brodie helmets.

 

The IWM say they advised the HSE "that all gas masks of any vintage as well as all Brodie helmets should be assumed to contain asbestos, and potentially other toxic or hazardous materials".

 

"They should not be worn, and people should refer to the guidance supplied by the HSE for advice on how to remove and safely dispose of these items," said the IWM in a statement.

 

Some of them will be in very poor condition, schools are warned.

 

The IWM said that the majority of World War One Brodie helmets contain chrysotile or white asbestos in the lining.

 

Schools with these items in their collections are advised to remove them from use, double-bag them and send them for licensed disposal or to be made safe by a licensed contractor or arrange to have them displayed in a sealed cabinet.

 

Paula Keating of the Historical Association said schools should not panic and should avoid destroying these objects.

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-27391955

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BTW, for all of you with M1917 helmets, I am trained in asbestos abatement and disposal, so please double bag your helmets and send them to me. I will take care of them for you!

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This just in: The EPA recommends that any house that was adorned with lead based paint should be evacuated immediately and burned to the ground to avoid any potential for accidental contact and ingestion.

 

The potentially contaminated land should likewise be abandoned any deeds turned over to the local zoning board for proper decontamination and safe re-use.

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I'm not really sure how many kids want to sit there and sniff old helmets...Gas masks are kind of weird in that they're so old and fragile, idk why anyone would let someone try them on. I mean they could always use the French one that required you to pee on it lol.

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I guess my response to this would be, have every one of these schools tested all of the material used to construct the school to see if any of it has ACM? If not, they should hop to it and get going on with the abatement process, which can cost 10's if not 100's of thousands of dollars/pounds .

 

I'm a property manager in Philadelphia and most of the properties I manage have ACM present in the building, whether it be pipe insulation, floor tiles/mastic, etc. Most buildings built prior to 1990 can contain it in on form or another, even some buildings post-1990.

 

While it's good to err on the side of caution, to say that the helmets should be destroyed is a bit over the top.

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While not I am not surprised this is viewed by some as a chance to rail against the government, asbestos is not a joking matter. Especially when it comes to having it around kids and their pulmonary systems. I have no doubt that many gas masks and helmets will come out of closets for "show and tell" during the 100th anniversary. As Eric said, it is always better to err on the side of caution with this stuff. And it's apples and oranges to compare asbestos encased in paint on a building to a gasmask filter that some unsuspecting child breathes through or a helmet that leaves asbestos behind in their hair.

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Who in the world would try on a WW1 gas mask?!?! Most of the ones I've owned I wouldn't put on my face if you paid me...even the unused ones.

 

Now as far as teething on the brim of a WW1 helmet...that's a different matter altogether! :D

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I've had many jobs in my past and one of them involved asbestos. Long term chronic exposure to floating asbestos fiber and dust is what causes Asbestosis. Incidental(being in the same room with non-floating asbestos) contact will not harm a person. Most old school and government buildings simply spray a lockdown chemical on exposed asbestos to keep it from becoming airborne. So, as long as these kids are not wearing the helmet or mask(as Dave alluded to, gross) then there is no danger of any kind. This is nothing more than an over-reaction by some do-gooders. But, like Erick, if you feel threatened by your collection, send it to me, I like to live life on the edge. :)

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SergeantMajorGray

I wonder how many WW2 helmets will be destroyed because they look like ones with asbestos. Kill it! Kill it with fire!

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Third Herd

It was a good thing I didn't buy the asbestos crash crew outfit I saw at the Salvation Army years ago. I figure since My WWI helmets are just sitting on a shelf and the gas masks are in a tote, I'm safe. I did play with a WWI helmet in the 1950's and pull fibers from an asbestos rock.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I still maintain that it is a good idea to educate educators about the potential for asbestos exposure. This was on the Marine Corps Museum page today. I don't know zip about WWI helmets, so this may not even be one, but the point is that you guys who don't interact with the public in a museum setting are wrong to be too dismissive about this type of thing.

post-1646-0-50163200-1401308521.jpg

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BelligerentBlue

I picked up a German gas mask off a guy. He loved to put it on because he loved the smell of it... that being said, had a guy who wanted to purchase it so he could put it on and smoke weed. Nut cases are out there.

 

That being said, I don't feel that minimal exposure such as the boy wearing the helmet is a bad thing. He's not licking the thing or trying to eat it! Heck, when I was in the Marine Corps we trained in abandoned Air Force base housing in California. It was abandoned because of asbestos and then the Marine Corps took it over so we could train in it! It was used solely for MOUT training, so we would trained in it and lived in it. Not only that but we would destroy the walls and stuff inside and then sleep on the asbestos covered floors. I'm still alive and healthy... so far. :D

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Hey Marine, I get what you are saying. But here's my point-that is for a kid's parents to decide not those of us who think it is not a big deal.

Semper Fi!

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  • 3 weeks later...
AAF_Collection

I agree with Capa, asbestos is not something to be treated carelessly, I have a friend and fellow collector in his 50's who is dying of lung disease, he was exposed to asbestos in his 20's.

 

When surveying WWII buildings it's everywhere, and I've avoided entering buildings where there is obvious signs of asbestos on the floors, as I'd rather not kick up the dust.

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