I am NOT saying that all KN95s are inferior in quality. This article is about counterfeit N95 and poor quality KN95 face masks made in China. We have purchased and used good quality KN95s from China that has passed the CDC filtration test.
Since March, I've been cooperating with Bstrong and GEM to help authenticate the standards of the KN95 mask respirators (N95 equivalent from China). I acknowledge everyone's heart and effort during this crisis by providing us with their export distributors in China. Nevertheless, I am finding that some of the respirators being offered to us are NOT real N95 equivalent respirators. Since many of you don't know about the FDA regulations and why medical providers need high-quality N95 respirators, please let me guide you.
Outline:
Why high-quality N95 is essential.
Difference between FDA registration and FDA approval.
Why the FDA logo on the box means NOT FDA approved.
Spot FAKE Chinese KN95/NIOSH/N95 knockoffs.
Lower-quality KN95 has LOOSE earloops.
About N95/NIOSH/KN95 international performance standards.
Is Dasheng NIOSH a counterfeit or manufacturer error?
You might kill a medical provider by offering them a bad respirator.
4 easy ways to spot a low-quality respirator.
Low vs. High-quality N95, NIOSH, KN95
Imagine your face is a bank vault, the mask is the door to the vault of the bank, and the virus is a thief. The door to the vault should be as thick as possible to marginalize the possibility of a thief going through the door (N95 means 95% filtration). Nevertheless, the SEAL of the door on the door frame is equally crucial. If there's a large gap between the vault door and the vault door frame, then the thief can quickly get inside the bank vault.
All hospital employees undergo fit testing to guarantee a tight seal. Poor quality KN95 masks have loose earloops, which makes for a looser seal. While these respirators may have proof of testing of KN95 grade quality in China, this is the test of just the respirator (the vault door) rather than the seal (door frame). We've already imported several of these low-quality respirators and have found that the fit is poor, and the elastic is too loose to pass a hospital fit testing. Many of us using N95 respirators are face to face with coughing or vomiting patients. We want the quality respirators with the tightest seal and not any respirator that will let the thief into the bank vault. This is why many health care workers have a mask-shaped bruise or line on their faces.
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