Counterfeit N95 masks that do not meet U.S. safety standards have infiltrated the market, posing a risk to physicians and other health professionals on the front lines of COVID-19 care. These fake N95s may not offer the same level of protection against the novel coronavirus as legitimate N95 respirator masks. But there are ways to remain ahead of these fake masks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a notice about the fake N95s that are circulating and how physicians and others in health care charged with obtaining personal protective equipment can properly identify them.
Learn more from the AMA about seven signs those new N95s at your physician practice might be fake.
N95 respirator masks are sought after for health professionals because—when properly fitted—they create a seal that filters 95% of the airborne particles that can carry the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But with so many counterfeit N95s on the market, inadvertently using them can give physicians and other health professionals a false sense of security.
The NIOSH Trusted-Source webpage is the go-to destination to identify approved models and find a listing of all NIOSH-approved and FDA-cleared surgical N95 respirators.
Here are three other keys to ensure your N95 respirator mask is the real deal.
Identify an approved respirator mask
Respirators approved by NIOSH have an agency approval label somewhere on the packaging, either on the box or included with the user instructions. Notice about approval also will appear on the filtering facepiece respirator itself, in abbreviated form.
If you see N95 on the package, that doesn’t mean it is the correct type of respirator mask, because it may not meet NIOSH approval requirements. These filtering facepiece respirator masks are divided into different classes based on their filtration capabilities.
Additionally, there are 10 classes of NIOSH-approved particulate filtering respirators currently available. These masks filter a minimum of 95% of airborne particles, which make them essential for physicians and other health professionals fighting COVID-19. Among these respirator masks, the N, R and P designations refer to the filter’s oil resistance. These include the N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R10, P95, P99 and P100 masks.
NIOSH maintains a list of approved filtering facepiece respirators by class and filtration level, with contact information for the manufacturers.
Pay attention to the label
An important thing to keep in mind is what the label says. All NIOSH-approved respirators will have an approval number and label. User instructions will also be included with either large or small packages of respirators. But don’t get rid of the instructions before all masks are used or discarded.
The approval label provides contact information for the respirator manufacturer or supplier, cautions and limitations for use as well as directions for proper use. But there are exceptions and some filtering facepiece respirators will not have the approval number directly on the mask. Instead, the markings will be found on an approval label within the packaging.
Learn more from the CDC and NIOSH about markings and approval labels for respirator masks.
Buy from the manufacturer
There are several manufacturers that provide a large amount of respirator models. Through the CDC and NIOSH, physician practices and health systems can access a list of approved N95 respirator masks, listed alphabetically by manufacturer.
The list includes major manufacturers such as 3M Co., Cardinal Health and CVS Pharmacy as well as private labels. Buying directly from a manufacturer like 3M is often the best way to avoid counterfeit masks.
Learn more about how to spot counterfeit respirators at the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, which features a listing—with pictures—of masks that are wrongly being marketed as having NIOSH approval.
