Bio hazzard suit

[kirk10100]

I've been stocking up for some time on water, food items and other goodies but just realized i have minimal protection against biological threats. I guess what got me thinking is that i just saw that there was a confirmed case of ebola in Dallas I believe.
Any reccomendations on bio hazzard suits that I may buy? I went on ebay and saw several options but this is something i have no idea about.

 

[Texasjack]

Biohaz suits are for short-term contact. They have to be decontaminated (usually with bleach) just to be able to get out of it. Real bacteria and viruses have many pathways to get at you. There is no nice, neat protection you can buy.

Ebola is an odd disease in that it kills very quickly. There has to be something that allows the disease to flourish long enough to be spread to the next victim. AIDS, for example, is a huge problem because it kills slowly. That gives the disease lots of time to be spread to other folks. The Spanish Flu epidemic went world wide in 1918 (I believe) and killed more people than WWI, which was going on at the time. It mostly hit children and young adults - generally the healthiest part of the population - and would kill in a couple of days. It turned out to have an incubation period during which the patient felt fine. When it hit military training bases, the government decided to send the "healthy" recruits home and thus spread the disease all over.

As with any disaster, the best defense is to be ready to adjust your response to the situation. You have to know the enemy in order to adapt. A disease borne by mosquitoes would require repellents and insecticides, for example. Basic hygiene and health would always help combat disease. If it's something militarized - like anthrax - then antibiotics and inoculations would be needed. A suit buys you a few moments of contact, but little more.

 

[TXAZ]

1) are you saying you would bet your life, and your family's life on a bio suit you bought from "some guy" on eBay?
2) have you had the comprehensive training on how to use MOP/ PPE suits, particularly getting out of them after exposure?
3) have you ever worn a PPE suit?
I ask rhetorically, as there are a lot of other things you can do that are easier, safer and cheaper. Exposure suits are EXTREEEEEEMLY uncomfortable to wear and without the training and support system (assuming you got a good suit from a reputable vendor) they are almost useless. (Unless you are on a diet want to lose a couple pounds of water weight in an hour or less).

Wash your hands alot, use hand sanitizer alot and stay away from sick people and those that came into contact with the infected.

 

[shortround]

There is no suit available for the masses to protect themselves from bio hazards.

Your best defense is to get in shape, stay hydrated, eat healthy, and avoid crowds.

Anecdotal evidence shows that Ebola travels through populations that have weak immune systems, are obese, or undernourished, and those who tend to the sick and dead before they are buried.

Now that it has been spread in Dallas, our only hope is that the native population there has a strong immune system.

Otherwise, the plaque will spread like wild fire.

And, the only way to stop it is to cordon off the affected areas and allow the virus to burn itself out. Most (if not all) will die, but it will spare the larger population a horrendous death.

All of our guns and ammo will be of no use once we are infected.

Be well. Sleep well.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

You could get a variety of NBC clothing that is relatively cheap. Have it basically to have it. Maybe you would need it for some hypothetical situation, but probably not. But who knows? Good health, isolation, security are primary imho.

 

[Mike1234567]

When it's time to die... it's time to die. Stop trying so hard other than shelter, water, food, clothing and fuel for the relatively short term... 90-180 days. Beyond 30 days you be taking more lives than you're saving.

 

[Younggun]

When it's time to die... it's time to die. Stop trying so hard other than shelter, water, food, clothing and fuel for the relatively short term... 90-180 days. Beyond 30 days you be taking more lives than you're saving.

I don't get the last line.

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

I don't get where someone would wear such a suit.

To work? To the grocery store?

Not sure why you get one unless dealing with an infected person - something I plan to stay far away from.

 

[txinvestigator]

1) use hand sanitizer alot and stay away from sick people and those that came into contact with the infected.

But with a 21 day incubation period couldn't one come into contact with the infected and not know it?

 

[Younggun]

But with a 21 day incubation period couldn't one come into contact with the infected and not know it?

Not contagious until symptoms show.

 

[Younggun]

I don't get where someone would wear such a suit.

To work? To the grocery store?

Not sure why you get one unless dealing with an infected person - something I plan to stay far away from.

Put the infected person in the suit.

 

[txinvestigator]

Not contagious until symptoms show.

Not arguing, just asking. But are you sure? What are symptoms?

Also, let's say an infected and symptomatic person goes to the mall, uses the head and when wiping gets body fluids on hands, then touches several things there.

Couldn't that spread the virus to many?

 

[winchster]

Not arguing, just asking. But are you sure? What are symptoms?

Also, let's say an infected and symptomatic person goes to the mall, uses the head and when wiping gets body fluids on hands, then touches several things there.

Couldn't that spread the virus to many?

In theory Yes, however, ebola has a very short lifespan outside a host

 

[Sapper740]

I assume you're strictly talking about Viral agents, correct? O.K. so you're safely ensconced in your Bio-Hazard suit and you're now outside the hot zone (assuming you're alone and not part of a Haz Mat team with a Decon team waiting for you). If you plan on re-using it it must be completely decontaminated....a risky venture. If it was just a one shot use then you still must be extremely careful when removing it so as to not touch it. A lone person without support will find very limited uses for a Haz Mat suit and some of the high dollar commercial ones I trained with can't be removed by the wearer.

There are some surplus MOPP suits available online, I bought a couple for my wife and I but they're more useful during a chemical attack than a Biological one.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Your best bet honestly to fight most pathogens without a lvl 4 containment facility and all its support staff is to support your immune system. Vit C and D are obviously the 2 biggies, along with most essential minerals. Also staying in good spirits and minimizing release of stress hormones is good (immune system falls off by 50% when you are stressed physically or mentally). Granted there ain't much research on it and I advise to take at your own risk (only known side effect is argyria which turns you blue), but colloidal silver is another option to backup your own immune system. And last but certainly not least good hygeine is paramount to avoiding all sorts of nasties, problem is in a SHTF situation without running water this can be a bit of a challenge but you can still try to maintain cleanliness. Of course none of this is fullproof so it's also a good idea to keep in contact with your higher power and ask him for protection.

 

[txinvestigator]

In theory Yes, however, ebola has a very short lifespan outside a host

Can you elaborate? we talking minutes, hours...? What conditions does it need to survive?

 

[TXAZ]

Put the infected person in the suit.

Interesting idea, but actually, the suits don't work that way. They require positive pressure on the inside, and vent out. Further, one of the not so pleasant and not well advertised effects of most VHF's is bloody discharge and serious diarrhea.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Can you elaborate? we talking minutes, hours...? What conditions does it need to survive?

I'm not expert so don't quote me, but from what I've heard it's seconds when under UV exposure in aerosolized body fluids. However in say a dark, dank apartment when you have bodily fluids soaking say some bedding it can persist much longer. There are reports that some people in Africa are catching Ebola from being in a cab after said cab was used as an ad hoc ambulance for an Ebola victim.

Of course all of this is predicated on it not mutating to become hardier. As we all know viruses mutate, sometimes slowly (Hep and HIV), sometimes quickly as in the case of the flu (thus why they can never seem to nail down the right strain of the flu to vaccinate with every year).

 

[Younggun]

Not arguing, just asking. But are you sure? What are symptoms?

Also, let's say an infected and symptomatic person goes to the mall, uses the head and when wiping gets body fluids on hands, then touches several things there.

Couldn't that spread the virus to many?

Symptoms are easily searchable, no sense listing them all. Basics are fever, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding around the gums.
Yes, but your previous statement was in regards to the incubation period, not a symptomatic person.

The latter danger is more easily and better defended against by hand washing an a bottle of Purell.


As for how many would catch it, that isn't really the subject at hand and hard to predict. Lost of variables such as the area in which it happened, how hygienic the population is, how sick the person is who is spreading it, and whether or not that person seeks medical attention when he/she realizes they have a serious illness.

Judging by the low number of people who have contracted Ebola after the fiasco in Dallas (one), I'd say the odds of 1 person leaving enough germs in 1 bathroom to cause widespread communication is relatively low, assuming those using the bathroom are in good health and seek medical attention should symptoms arise.

 

[Sapper740]

Interesting idea, but actually, the suits don't work that way. They require positive pressure on the inside, and vent out. Further, one of the not so pleasant and not well advertised effects of most VHF's is bloody discharge and serious diarrhea.

Well, some do. The ones in the labs are positive pressure of course and provide limited mobility but the Haz Mat suits to be used outside of the labs are of two types. With one type the wearer is completely sealed in and requires use of a Scott or MSA Air Pack and yes, pressure will eventually increase in the suit from your exhalations and will vent.

The other covers all but your face which is covered by a mask and filter. The mask is "sealed" to the hood of the suit by tape. This type is not Positive Pressure.