![]() They don't work all that well and fill your home with ozone radicals so best avoid those. There are actually machines that purposely produce this irritating and destructive gas in the name of air cleaning. Ozone levels are also higher in polluted air in urban areas due to vehicle Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) production and reactions with sunlight. In your home, ozone is produced by electronic devices, especially computer printers. ![]() It is a very reactive substance that can cause lung irritation and health problems in humans and also degrades rubber and plastics over time. Ozone is a gas made of three oxygen atoms. You will deal with less dust on your masks as well. Glass has a significant UV filtering capacity, so displaying your masks behind glass-fronted cabinets might be an option. Tungsten lamps would be ideal, but those are increasingly difficult to source. Indoors, you should try to use lamps that do not produce much UV. To protect your mask collection, don't display your masks where sunlight can shine on them like near a window. These flaws will extend deeper and deeper into the rubber with increased exposure. UV damaged rubber manifests itself first at the surface with chalkiness and mud cracking (cracks that resemble dried mud). Carbon black and titanium dioxide can be added to rubber formulations to protect from UV light, but add to the cost and can introduce undesirable properties to the rubber. Most rubber formulations are vulnerable to this degradation with the minor exception of UV resistant EPDM rubber (ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class) rubber). UV light is a shortwave, energetic form of light that can degrade many materials including your skin. Luckily, you can forestall this process with proper storage and maintenance. Although your gas mask is designed to be tough, the rubber can deteriorate over time in a number of different failure modes. Increasingly, gas masks contain a mixture of rubber types to obtain certain properties such as softness and resistance to chemical warfare agent breakthrough. Rubber is the main ingredient for most gas masks either natural, butyl or silicone rubbers. Also, use some common sense- if your gas mask is a rare bird from WWII, it just might be a good idea to leave it slightly dirty to prevent accidental damage, for example. It is highly recommended that nothing else be used, lest it damage the facepiece. Using a slight amount of dish soap is also possible. Getting the harness wet is something you should try to avoid- it isn't the death of the mask, but doing it repeatedly will cause issues. The best way of doing this is using warm water, a soft cloth, and some care. If your gas mask is dirty, you can clean it. As a general rule of thumb, the more often you can keep the plastic piece in, the better off you'll be. You should keep the plastic piece placed inside the mask whenever you aren't using it. If your mask came with a plastic thing inside of the face form, DO NOT THROW IT OUT! It isn't just a packing tool, it's an important piece that keeps your mask from being pressed out of shape. Never leave the mask exposed to direct sunlight.
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