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From: Soggy on 11 Apr 2006 12:36
I'm thinking about ordering this (with the chemical filter) in the hopes I
can go to more places (even if I look like a freak ... or a MJ wannabe).
Has anyone tried it or know anything about it beyond the company's claims?
I guess what I particularly need to know is will something that will filter
air-borne chemicals also be able to filter air-borne food (no, I'm not
talking about food fights).
http://www.respro.com/popup_aero.php

Pat


From: Jack Campin - bogus address on 12 Apr 2006 06:40
> I'm thinking about ordering this (with the chemical filter) in the
> hopes I can go to more places (even if I look like a freak ... or
> a MJ wannabe).
> Has anyone tried it or know anything about it beyond the company's
> claims? I guess what I particularly need to know is will something
> that will filter air-borne chemicals also be able to filter air-borne
> food (no, I'm not talking about food fights).
> http://www.respro.com/popup_aero.php

Looks like it would help, but so would an ordinary builder's dust
mask at a fraction of the price. Maybe each might be appropriate
for different situations.

Food is easier to filter than most chemicals, the particles are bigger.

This may sound weird, but it might help to look at texts on chemical
warfare. The military has thought hard about the practicalities of
surviving in toxic environments.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557
From: Soggy on 12 Apr 2006 17:37

"Jack Campin - bogus address" <bogus(a)purr.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bogus-D6FF48.11401612042006(a)news.news.demon.net...
> > I'm thinking about ordering this (with the chemical filter) in the
> > hopes I can go to more places (even if I look like a freak ... or
> > a MJ wannabe).
> > Has anyone tried it or know anything about it beyond the company's
> > claims? I guess what I particularly need to know is will something
> > that will filter air-borne chemicals also be able to filter air-borne
> > food (no, I'm not talking about food fights).
> > http://www.respro.com/popup_aero.php
>
> Looks like it would help, but so would an ordinary builder's dust
> mask at a fraction of the price. Maybe each might be appropriate
> for different situations.
>
> Food is easier to filter than most chemicals, the particles are bigger.
>
> This may sound weird, but it might help to look at texts on chemical
> warfare. The military has thought hard about the practicalities of
> surviving in toxic environments.
>

Really. Well, I'm going to try a builder's dust mask and see how that goes.

But why hasn't that been brought up in all the news stories about peanut &
nut allergies. If it's such a simple thing ... I'm a bit confused about
that.

I don't know how big of a news item that's been in Scotland but it's a major
issue in the US & Canada particularly so far as children who are very
sensitive. Some schools have even banned peanuts.

Yeah, the chemical warfare idea makes sense. A mask that protects against
nerve gas would work, wouldn't it? Not sure if they'd let me on a plane
with one though (which is the major issue here).

Thanks for being as wonderfully helpful as ever, Jack!

Pat


From: Jack Campin - bogus address on 12 Apr 2006 20:56
> I don't know how big of a news item that's been in Scotland but it's
> a major issue in the US & Canada particularly so far as children who
> are very sensitive. Some schools have even banned peanuts.

It's a problem here, but not on the same scale as in the US since
peanuts are not such a large part of the diet and there isn't the
same quasi-religious fanaticism about them.

I *think* fatal anaphylaxis in the UK (medical drugs excluded) goes
in this order: (1) insect bites, (2) dairy, (3) peanuts, (4) latex.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557
From: Art Schwartz on 13 Apr 2006 11:10
I first came across Respro masks a few years ago in a bike shop, before
I first learned about my food allergies. Seemed like a good idea for
riding a bike in city traffic. But the "large" size was too small, and
Respro does not make their cycling and chemical masks in X-large, so
there was no point in pursuing it any further. I did check out their
website, and Googled around learning about activated charcoal fabric,
and volatile organic compounds, more out of curiosity than anything else.

A couple of years later, a stonemason we had doing some work for us
pulled a different Respro model out of his tool bag; said he'd found it
in a motorcycle shop, and praised it highly for his occupational dust
problems.

This time I found the Respro FB-1 dust mask, which they created for
firefighters. This comes in X-large, and I ordered one. The neoprene
outer layer is still too damn small in one key dimension, and the filter
they sent to fit inside the neoprene is even smaller. It sits in a drawer.

Then came the chemical sensitivity problems. Neither Respro nor any of
their competitors makes their clean-looking allergy masks in a size that
fits. [Anger and sarcasm withheld at this point]. What I did find that
works were disposable masks for "nuisance-level" volatile organic
compounds in an industial safety supply catalogue. I had to create my
own elastic band arrangement to hold them on, but they have made an
immense difference. I keep one in the car, one in the bag I carry
around with me when I'm out of the house, and one for work around the
house a and yard.

Most industrial safety supply shops carry a selection, all considerably
less expensive than Respro. There are a number of different
manufacturers and suppliers with on-line catalogues [e.g., 3M, Degil,
Moldex, North, Levitt]. I use 3M model 8577, simply because it's easily
available near where I live, and it fits. They come in boxes of ten for
between $Cdn 50-60. When one gets dirty or saturated, I throw it away.

I've worn them on airplanes and in theatres -- but never going through
airport security. Lots of "Can we help you?" kinds of concern from
flight attendants, but I'd rather not do anything to attract more
attention from security types than I already get -- but that's a
different discussion.


Soggy wrote:
> I'm thinking about ordering this (with the chemical filter) in the hopes I
> can go to more places (even if I look like a freak ... or a MJ wannabe).
> Has anyone tried it or know anything about it beyond the company's claims?
> I guess what I particularly need to know is will something that will filter
> air-borne chemicals also be able to filter air-borne food (no, I'm not
> talking about food fights).
> http://www.respro.com/popup_aero.php
>
> Pat
>
>
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