After adoption by the Imperial Russian Army during World War I, casualties from chemical attacks decreased sharply.

[3] Early protection from chemical weapons were "wet masks," which were bandages soaked in a solution of hyposulfite, sodium phenolate, methenamine, etc.

This increased the concentration of toxic substances and changed their chemical composition; and it turned out that in the new conditions, activated carbon alone does not provide the required duration of protection.

By 1918, English, French, American and German gas mask filters were filled with both activated carbon and chemical absorbers, but in Russia until the very end of the war, they continued to believe in the universality of activated carbon, contrary to the proposals of the Gas Prevention Laboratory of the Chemical Committee at G.A.U.

Small particles passed between large pieces of activated carbon (4–11 mm) unhindered,[7] and there were no aerosol filters in the gas mask boxes.

Some soldiers "fell out of action due to shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness" to the point of loss of consciousness.

But even when the amount of absorber was reduced to such a small value that the service life turned out to be unacceptably short, the problem could not be solved.