Advanced Models of Personal Protective Equipment for Ground Forces Against Chemical and Biological Weapons Effects

Modern personal protective equipment for military personnel against the damaging factors of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) does not always allow to achieve an acceptable combination of body armor, protective helmet, respiratory and skin protective equipment from vapors and aerosols of toxic substances (TS) and biological agents (BA) in one set of equipment. The purpose of the work is to propose a promising form of personal protective equipment for Ground Forces servicemen against the damaging factors of chemical and biological weapons. The main characteristic feature of the existing gas masks is the invariable level of protection against the damaging factors of CBW. However, they do not provide protection for the head of servicemen from bullets and shrapnel. Based on the fact that danger levels for military personnel in case of a CBW attack differ and depend on the type of agent and on the time elapsed after the attack, the authors propose to combine a gas mask and a helmet in one product and to install disk filtering and sorbing elements (PSE) in the temporal region of the protective helmet with an air-duct, connected with an elastic half mask. The first universal PSE (sorbing-filtering) has the characteristics of a gas mask (shortness of breath) for protection from poisonous substances and biological agents in conditions of uncertainty of their use. It is transferred to the firing position simultaneously with the lowering of the visor. The second PSE possesses the parameters of a respirator (sorbing-filtering for easier breathing) for protection against TS. The second PSE should be used after the establishment of the fact of chemical, biological or radioactive contamination within an hour after the use of weapons of mass destruction. Thus, the main part of the soldier's head will be protected against bullets and shrapnel, as well as against TS and BA. To protect the lower part of the soldier's face (the chin, jaws and neck), it is proposed to use a circular elastic strip with a nasolabial device (screen) in the form of a half mask.

1. Kovtun V.A., Golipad A.N., Melnikov A.V. et al. Chemical Terrorism as a Coercive Instrument of Foreign Policy of the US and the West // Journal of NBC Protection Corps. 2017. V. 1. № 2. P. 3–13 (in Russian).

2. Medical aspects of Chemical Warfare / Eds. Tuorinsky S.D., Lenhart M.K. Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Washington. 2008.

3. Batyrev V.V., Zhivulin G.A. Basics of individual protection of a person from dangerous chemical and radioactive substances. Moscow: FGBU VNII GO World Cup (FC), 2016. 204 p. (in Russian).

4. Batyrev V.V., Zhivulin G.A. Assessment of efficiency and quality of filtering means of personal protection of respiratory organs of the population in emergency situations. Moscow: FSU VNII GOCHS (FC) Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 2017. 424 p. (in Russian).

5. Aleksandrov V.N., Emelyanov V.I. Poisonous substances / Ed. G.A. Sokolsky. Moscow: Voenizdat, 1990, 272 p. (in Russian).

6. Chemical weapons of potential enemy / Ed. рrof. A.N. Kalitaev. Moscow: VAKhZ, 1977. 304 p. (in Russian).

7. Rothschild J.H. Tomorrow's weapons. New York. 1964.

8. Patent: RU 190 408 U9 (2018) (in Russian).