Dear Dan,

Thanks for writing.  Your experience is similar to that of many other parents.  That is why I would like to use your message in future episodes of Airsoft Medicine podcast.  I hope that sharing your experience can help other parents avoid similar surprises.

The game of airsoft is safe when played with the proper equipment, and with the right rules and enforcement.  That is, if you can accept soft tissue contusions resulting in temporary welts in one's definition of safe.  Eye protection is certainly the absolute precaution that cannot be compromised in airsoft.  The American Society for Testing and Standards (ASTM.org) is currently developing standards for Airsoft which will require a minimum of full-seal goggles consistent with ANSI A87.1 level of protection.  Do not compromise on this requirement.  Many players will experience fogging during play with even expensive goggles.  This will not be tolerated by players, and that is why you find them breaking rules about full-seal goggles.  Some have taken to using wire mesh products that do not protect with a solid barrier.  Neither the ASTM nor myself can endorse such a product because of the inherent risk of fragments of bb's passing through the mesh, even if the mesh is strong enough to prevent intact bb's from passing.  That being said, I have never heard of evidence of an injury occuring becuse of this theoretical risk.

The use of three accessories can help with fogging: anti-fog wipes/sprays, thermal lenses, and integrated fans.  Anti-fog products are applied to the inside surface of the goggle before play and coat the plastic with a chemical which resists the adhesion of water vapor droplets.  Thermal lenses are similar to two-pane windows in a home.  The fogging occurs due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the goggles.  Thermal lenses minimize this temperature difference.  Fans work by providing ventilation to blow out the hot air inside the goggle which occurs when heat radiates from the player's face and is trapped inside the goggles.  I personally use a fan that comes with ESS Profile goggles.  The fan has two speeds.  I can often run it on the low speed, but sometimes fogging will start.  All I have to do is turn the fun up to the high speed to remove the fogging.  I would promote these goggles more if they were not so expensive.  There are many other similar goggles on the market, and the airsoft stores sell fan kits at a fraction of the cost of the ESS goggles.  I have yet to work with the fan kit and less expensive goggles to give a recommended combination.

The fan kit could probably be used with your current facemask.  You may also be able to shell out around $30 for a thermal lense, depending on the type of mask you purchased.  I cannot speak from experience on the thermal lenses, because I have not used them in a game.

I should also address the issue of soft tissue injury and minimum engagement distances.  There is some information that I would like about the game.  I want to know if there was a requirement for the guns to have a limit of muzzle velocity.  There are stock airsoft guns which can shoot twice the speed of a typical off-the-shelf airsoft rifle.  Care must be taken to have a reasonable muzzle velocity limit, and then test every gun with standard weight bb.  Typically the limit will be 350 feet per second for indoor games, testing with a 0.20 gram bb.  Even following these standards will result in a significant welt in the case of a face hit, even from across a school gymnasium.

It is difficult to always enforce minimum engagement distances during intesnse play.  The players will often come around a corner to find another player right in their face.  Some games will include a rule about a "mercy kill" or "bang kill" where the player is required to surrender their victim without firing a shot.  I encourage you to listen to our podcast (http://feeds.feedburner.com/airsoftmedicine) titled, "bang kill," for more discussion on this topic.  The ASTM is going to set a standard of no shot closer than five feet, and no closer than 10 feet with a gun firing 350 feet per second.

If you feel that the church game organization is lacking in concern for safety I encourage you to work with them to make improvements.  Please share my website and resources with the organizers.  They can also email me with questions.  I have worked with other game organizers who have well-supervised and managed games in the area.

Sincerely,

Mark Vaughan, M.D

www.airsoftmedicine.com