Do beards prevent a proper seal on a gas mask?

When I was in the army, it was traditional that infantry pioneers, who did light engineering work in infantry battalions, had beards. As far as I know, that is still the case. We ofen had to re-qualify by going into a gas chamber with tear gas. read more

Yes, they can prevent a gas tight seal. I wasn’t on the site but I did attend a safety training meeting where they discussed use of emergency air tanks for use when H2S poison gas was present and they said you have to shave off beards so that the masks would make a proper seal. read more

Today, the most widely stated reason for requiring troops to keep a clean-shaven face is because facial hair prevents the proper sealing of a gas mask. Many studies and personnel trials have proven this true time and time again. read more

First of all gas masks and even protective clothing is designed to do only one thing on the modern battlefield: allow soldiers to accomplish their mission without becoming a casualty. read more