[2] It was designed to protect against the ingress of toxic, radioactive substances and bacterial (biological) agents into the respiratory system, eyes, and face of a person.

The GP-5 kit is widely available on the army surplus market, usually very cheaply ($5 to $25), and is often used as a part of Halloween or fancy dress costumes, including cosplay.

The GP-5 is a simple gas mask with protection around the entire head, and a single metal ringed filter for breathing.

[2] It was designed to protect against the ingress of toxic, radioactive substances and bacterial (biological) agents into the respiratory system, eyes, and face of a person.

The front part of the GP-5 provides the supply of air purified in the filter-absorbing box to the respiratory organs and protects the eyes and face from the ingress of toxic, radioactive substances and bacterial (biological) agents, as well as dust, smoke, and fog.

The valve box of the front part serves to distribute the flows of inhaled and exhaled air.

On the lid of the box, there is a screwed neck with a standard 40/4 thread for attaching the FPC to the front of the gas mask, and at the bottom, there is a round hole through which the inhaled air enters.

The GP-5 does not protect against ammonia and its derivatives, organic vapors and gases with a boiling point of less than 65 °C (such as methane, ethane, acetylene, ethylene oxide, isobutane, etc.

In October 2013, Dixon Information found that the cotton layer of the filter contains 7.5 percent asbestos.

Although this may be the case for some filters, many factories chose not to put the money into updating the assembly line and continued to use asbestos.

[5] Online, there is an additional GOST to NATO filter thread adaptor which is not officially part of the GP-5 kit issued by the Soviet Union, and it is disputed whether it is airtight and effective or not.

[6] GP-kits 5 were packed, transported, and stored in their original packaging – wooden boxes, which were sealed by the manufacturer.

Before putting on the new front part of the gas mask, it is necessary to wipe it outside and inside with a clean cloth slightly moistened with water and blow out the exhalation valves.

The low cost and ease of manufacturing the GP-5 kit led to its adoption by several states, both for military and industrial use.

[7] A later variation of the GP-5 is the PMG-2, which features a circular metal housing that protects a thin piece of plastic on the inside, which acts as a voice diaphragm ('voicemitter').

The ShM-62 and the ShM-41 were issued respectively to the civilian population and armed forces of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, among which they were given differing designations.

Although it is unrelated to the GP-5 family of masks, a similar variant of the Russian "helmet-style" design with small eyepieces and a voice transmitter for those with specific needs relating to the use of optical equipment (i.e. officers - binoculars) was known as the SchMS.