Whats a good mask?

[Nico]

There are some caves about 5 mins from my house that are unexplored due to the big guano piles on the entrance room, so I was wondering what kind of mask could I use to get into those caves to reduce the risk of histoplasmosis?
Will the gas masks found at military surplus stores work? a carbon filter one?
Any help is apreciated.
I found these two
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=235060
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=133029

[cob]

I would avoid military surplus. They got rid of it because it was past it's expiration date. Might be ok anyway... might not. Hard to know for certain.

Any good respirator (like painters use) will be your best bet. 2 things:

#1... it has to be fitted to your face
#2... you have to be clean shaven.

tom

[randojl]

...what kind of mask could I use to get into those caves to reduce the risk of histoplasmosis?

First, get a competent medical opinion about what should be filtered (gases, dust, etc.) Then, get a respirator that's approved by NIOSH for that purpose. Note that the wrong respirator can make the situation worse, if you filter the larger particles that can trigger your natural defenses and let the smaller ones through. Finally, follow the right procedure for fitting, testing and maintenance.

[Nico]

According to the vendors website these ones are new and fully functional.

I'll ask my doctor, tho I don't think he an recommend a certain kind of respirator