Masks and Glasses SIR,—Leslie Adrian in his article on underwater-
swimmi9g gear (July 15) states quite rightly that 'there are no official standards for the performance 'nor the competence of underwater masks, so that there are models on the market which kill.
The national water safety committee of RoSPA has asked the British Standards Institution to draw up a standards specification for separate snorkels and masks. This is to be done and will cover such things as dimensions of snorkels, materials, per- formance and labelling. RoSPA has also made known to British manufacturers its contention that the manufacture of integral snorkels and masks should cease and one manufacturer has agreed to do so as from this year.
The need for more informative labelling has also been discussed, and all adult masks should in our committee's view bear the cautionary notice that they should not be worn by a child because of the danger of inadvertently covering the mouth. Such a notice would state 'Adult size, to cover eyes and nose only, not to be worn by children.' The junior mask should also carry the instruction that it is solely for use by children with a snorkel tube.
VERA BR YANT
Secretary, National Water Safety Committee The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW I
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