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The GP-4u (Russian: Гражда́нский Противога́з-4у, tr. Grazhdanskii Protivogaz-4u) gas mask was one of the most widely produced gas masks in the USSR.
The civilian GP-4u gas mask consists of the face-piece, the hose and a cylinder-shaped filter, which is screwed onto the end of the hose. As the wearer breathes in air, the filter gets rid of certain poisonous materials as well as toxins and microorganisms.
The face-piece of the mask consists of rubber that comes in three colors: Black, White and green, the green being the most common color found on GP-4u gas masks, as well as two round glass lenses attached to the face-piece via metal. On the bottom side of the gas mask is the inhale-valve (on the front) which is where the hose starts, and an exhale valve behind it. The face-piece serves for filtered air to get through into the wearer's lungs without interfering with outside chemicals, microorganisms and toxins, as well as protection of the eyes and face-organs of the wearer.
The hose, which is permanently attached at the top to the inhale-valve and can have the bottom part be attached to the filter. The hose serves for nothing more than to safely transport air that went through the filter to the inhale-valve where it will be inhaled by the wearer.
The filters made for the GP-4u are known to contain asbestos and are long expired and outdated. They are not recommended for use by anybody.