Thread by @magpiekilljoy

you know how half your friends look at you strange for prepping? get stuff for them too.

get things now, while they're available. air filters, furnace filters, p100 masks. ideally, respirators (halfmask or full face) with p100 filters on them.

https://twitter.com/LolingSisyphus/status/1389040356734296068

if you get OV/P100 cartridges for your respirators, you're ready for tear gas too. just saying. The cartridge numbers for 3M brand masks, and clones that use the same ones, are 60921, 60923, or 60926. If you have the choice, 60926 is probably best.

P100 stands for, basically, "oil-[P]roof, 100% particulate filtration." The famous n95 masks stand for "[N]ot oil proof, 95% particulate filtration" and is better than nothing, but no reason to attach less than a P100 to a respirator.

3M brand (the one I'm most familiar with, I haven't tested the others much) labels its p100 cartridges with bright pink, so they're fairly easy to spot. The OV part is "organic vapors" and is important for tear gas but not as crucial for smoke. Helps with the smell tho i think.

the OV part eventually gets "used up" and needs to be replaced as it starts letting organic vapors through. Particulate filters have the opposite problem... they become too effective and start blocking airflow, and need to be replaced. They are still blocking particulates.

I'm not as familiar with air filtration systems. Most I've seen use the MERV rating, which runs from 1-16 or 1-20 depending on who you ask. What I've heard is you are looking for MERV of at least 12, with 10 working in a pinch.

You can get air filters that incorporate an air filter and a fan, and they're reasonably priced. You can also (I have not tested this, i'm on the east coast. west coast friends have.) duct tape a furnace filter to a box fan.

if you have the capacity to, stock up. get some for yourself, and if you can, get some for those friends who won't get them for themselves.

here's an awful lot of information about gas masks: crimethinc.com/2020/09/02/a-d…

here's an episode of Live Like the World is Dying that talks about gas masks in depth: …e-like-the-world-is-dying.pinecast.co/episode/90c8e2…

here's an episode from last summer talking with an anarchist wilderness firefighter

…e-like-the-world-is-dying.pinecast.co/episode/6cd425…