Profiteers have tried to cash in on the high-demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by marketing shoddy, unapproved products that do not adequately protect wearers from exposure.   This is particularly true of facemasks and respirators, the first line of defense against the virus.

Primarily originating in Asia (almost 80% of imported surgical mask shipments from March until July 2 came from China or South Korea), the counterfeit masks have not been approved for use in the US. “There are a lot of manufacturers now in the industry because they were making, you know, hats, socks last week — teddy bears — and now they’re making masks,” said Benjamin England, a consultant and attorney based in Maryland, who represents several dozen clients who import products to the United States.

During the first few weeks of the outbreak, existing respirator supplies were rapidly depleted or diverted to health- care professionals serving in hospitals, health centers, and clinics.  In the confusion and panic to find a supply source, employers resorted to buying whatever was available at the time, leading sometimes to purchases of inferior products that were dangerously inadequate.  Many of these were distributed before the authorities were able to identify them and warn the public.

Only the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is authorized to certify respirators to be used in the American workplace. This process includes reviewing the manufacturer’s test data, but the agency also verifies this information by performing its own independent tests for flow rate, filter efficiency and degradation, among others.

If a respirator has been NIOSH-certified, it will have the following markings on its packaging, user instructions, and/or on the respirator itself (Source: OSHA):

  • The NIOSH name or logo
  • The NIOSH filter classification, for example “N95”
  • The NIOSH test and certification – or TC – approval number
  • The Approval Holder’s business name (usually the manufacturer), registered trademark, or an easily understood abbreviation
  • The model or part number; and
  • The manufacturing lot number.

  Misspellings or grammatical errors on the respirator often indicate that it is counterfeit. Also, any representation by the manufacturer that its product is approved by NIOSH for use by children is false since the agency does not evaluate children’s masks.

Prior to purchasing new respirators, employers are urged to verify that they are NIOSH certified and be certain to evaluate any existing stockpiles to determine if they are approved or not.  The agency maintains and regularly updates counterfeit respirator information on its parent organization’s website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Employers may access this source by using the link below: 

infohttps://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/usernotices/counterfeitResp.htmlrmation.  

OSHA has a page on its website that provides some additional useful information regarding this topic.  It may be accessed by clicking on the link below:

https://www.osha.gov/video/respiratory_protection/niosh_transcript.html

Please direct any questions or concerns to:

The Safety Division at Hamond Safety Management