A chilling video showing gas masks being tested on schoolchildren by government scientists using deadly organisms paints a disturbing picture of life in the Cold War.
The unsettling footage, which was taken in 1960, shows a classroom full of children no older than 10 being given a lecture about the biohazard safety devices by a visitor.
The youngsters, who are the children of soldiers, are then led into a chamber where the mask’s effectiveness is tested using a potentially deadly mix of microbial organisms.
A classroom full of children no older than 10 are given a lecture about the biohazard safety devices by a visitor
The youngsters, who are the children of soldiers, are then led into a chamber where the mask’s effectiveness is tested using a potentially deadly mix of microbial organisms
The children stay in the chamber for 10 minutes before being removed, with the narrator noting that ‘a concentration much greater than could be reasonably expected during any biological attack’ is being tested on them.
The insides of their masks are then tested for any signs of leakage.
During this period of the Cold War, the United States was eager to ensure that every eventuality was prepared for, with biological warfare still being explored on both sides of the conflict.
Many at the top levels of government thought it possible that an attack would take the form of a deadly airborne pathogen that would quickly spread and cause unimaginable suffering for millions of people.
At the end of the experiment, the insides of the masks are tested for any signs of leakage
The children are pictured inside the chamber reading comic books during the experiment
As such, the government was determined to make sure every man, woman and child was prepared for such an eventuality.
It designed six sizes of biohazard masks and reasoned that the best way to discover whether their sizes suited everyone was to try them out on children.
Prior to being placed in the gas chamber each child had their head measured to find a suitable size, with the straps being adjusted accordingly.
The masks were also sprayed with banana oil to ensure they did not leak.
During this period of the Cold War, the United States was eager to ensure that every eventuality was prepared for, with biological warfare still being explored on both sides of the conflict. Scientists are pictured testing the masks for leakage
A scientist is pictured during the horrifying experiment, which was captured in a chilling US government video
Fortunately there was never a need for the disturbing-looking masks in mainland America during the Cold War
If the chemical, which is renowned for being particularly pungent, could not be smelt by the children then the masks were deemed to fit properly.
Luckily there was never any need for the masks in mainland America, though scientists believed that if the US were to have been the victim of a biological attack that people would have been safe.