An air purifying device including means for reducing air resistance between the air filtering elements and the target locations for the purified air. Reduced air resistance lowers the energy consumed by the device, thereby reducing its size and weight as well as improving ease of integration with a variety of head gear.

A respiration filtering face mask that can be washed and sterilized by common means and reused repeatedly comprised of a filtering component that is a laminate of at least one layer of particle filtering material and at least one layer of a microbe killing metallic woven cloth laminated together by adhesive or fusible material in a manner that allows low resistance to air flow, cut to a shape that is folded into a modified cone, a padding filled gasket that is continuously sealed to the outer edge of the filter cone, harness straps that are elastic and user adjustable for length and tension, and an attached shield to prevent fogging of eye ware. A method for making said anti-microbial filter and respiration filtering face mask.

A respiration filtering face mask that can be washed and sterilized by common means and reused repeatedly comprised of a filtering component that is a laminate of at least one layer of particle filtering material and at least one layer of a microbe killing metallic woven cloth laminated together by adhesive or fusible material in a manner that allows low resistance to air flow, cut to a shape that is folded into a modified cone, a padding filled gasket that is continuously sealed to the outer edge of the filter cone, harness straps that are elastic and user adjustable for length and tension, and an attached shield to prevent fogging of eye ware. A method for making said anti-microbial filter and respiration filtering face mask.

A cartridge comprising layers of adsorbent sheet is described. The cartridge includes an indicator that characterizes the consumption state of the adsorbent within the cartridge. The indicator is applied in a way such that discrete areas of indicator are visible. These discontinuous areas of indicator may be applied to the outside surface of the cartridge. Alternatively, the discontinuous areas may be formed by cutting windows in the outermost layer of the cartridge and either coating indicator on the layer beneath the window, placing an indicator layer between the window and the layer beneath it or filling the window with an indicating plug of material so that the indicator is visible from the outside of the cartridge. The indicator layer and indicator plug embodiments allow the use of any indicator with any adsorbent.

A cartridge comprising layers of adsorbent sheet is described. The cartridge includes an indicator that characterizes the consumption state of the adsorbent within the cartridge. The indicator is applied in a way such that discrete areas of indicator are visible. These discontinuous areas of indicator may be applied to the outside surface of the cartridge. Alternatively, the discontinuous areas may be formed by cutting windows in the outermost layer of the cartridge and either coating indicator on the layer beneath the window, placing an indicator layer between the window and the layer beneath it or filling the window with an indicating plug of material so that the indicator is visible from the outside of the cartridge. The indicator layer and indicator plug embodiments allow the use of any indicator with any adsorbent.

A swing bed absorption apparatus includes a bed including a bed housing including, an outer surface, an interior chamber, and a flared interior passageway fluidly connecting the interior chamber to an area located outside of the bed. The flared interior passageway includes an opening in the outer surface, a chamber opening at the interior chamber, a first portion located at the opening, the first portion being fluidly connected to the area located outside the bed through the opening, and a flared portion located at the chamber opening, the flared portion being fluidly connected to the interior chamber through the chamber opening. The flared portion connects to the interior chamber at an obtuse angle.

A face mask unit for protection against contaminants, for example in particles, comprises a face mask with a body having lateral inhalation filters inserted in seats of this body, the body cooperating with hooking means for fastening to a support element for supporting the mask on the face, and an exhalation valve for the exhaled air. An additional filtering member is provided, which is adapted to be arranged on the mask and bearing at least one filtering element, said additional filtering member being fixed to the mask and being arranged a short distance from it so as to create a space between the body of the mask and the filtering element, this space allowing air to flow in to the lateral inhalation filters unimpeded and also creating a void for the exhaled air from the exhalation valve to flow into before passing through said filtering element.

Systems and methods are provided for detecting and sequestering waste anesthetic gases released by an anesthetic vaporizer. In one embodiment, a method for an anesthetic vaporizer installed in an anesthesia machine includes detecting an emission of waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) from the anesthetic vaporizer, and responsive to detecting the emission of WAGs, performing at least one of scavenging the WAGs and outputting an alert.

Systems and methods are provided for detecting and sequestering waste anesthetic gases released by an anesthetic vaporizer. In one embodiment, a method for an anesthetic vaporizer installed in an anesthesia machine includes detecting an emission of waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) from the anesthetic vaporizer, and responsive to detecting the emission of WAGs, performing at least one of scavenging the WAGs and outputting an alert.

The invention relates to a low pressure drop personal protection device for providing protection against a range of toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents and capable of being worn by a wide range of users. The device comprises: a flexible polymeric hood in which the polymer is selected to be impermeable to the toxic challenge molecules; a neck seal for sealing the hood about the neck;a half mask for providing connection for a canister; and a low pressure drop canister system for providing chemical protection. The canister may comprise a resiliently flexible, closed cell foam and monolithic activated carbons, the foam having holes slightly smaller than the size of the monoliths so that flow through the canister is through the monoliths. The monoliths may be the result of partially curing a phenolic resin to a solid, comminuting the partially cured resin, extruding the comminuted resin, sintering the extruded resin so as to produce a form-stable sintered product and carbonising and activating configurable the form-stable sintered product. They may be between 5 and 40 mm diameter, preferably 15 to 30 mm and 1-3 cm in length. Each monolith may have a square channel structure wherein the channel size is 100-2000μ and the wall thickness may be 100-2000 μm with an open area of between about 30 and 60%. It may have a surface area of at least 700 m2/g, may be activated to >30 wt % weight loss and may be impregnated with materials selected from metallic additives and triethylene diamine according to the anticipated challenge.