Pre-World War I Firefighter Respirators and the U.S. Bureau of Mines Involvement in WWI.

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was established on July 1, 1910 with a mission to address the previous decade's coal mine fatality incidence rate of greater than 2,000 annually. The need for federal government involvement to assure dependable and safe mine rescue respirators was recognized by the USBM with the first respirator approval being issued in 1919. Prior to this, some occupations exposed individuals to inhalation hazards. Firefighters, in particular, had a critical need of respiratory protection. This article provides a brief summary of pre-World War I (WWI) (1914 to 1918) respiratory protection for firefighters based largely on the work of Bruce J. Held. Also discussed is the then newly established United States Bureau of Mines' (USBM) role with the U.S. War Department during WWI for protection against chemical warfare agents.