Many Chinese-made KN95 masks are visible on the Canadian market, and most of these masks have been professionally tested and found to be out of specification, with some of them even filtering only about 20% of suspended particles, well below the 95% standard. Medical experts say this is a fraud that misleads consumers and is very dangerous.
The number of people diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Canada has surpassed one million, causing the public to be more stringent about hygiene and to seek better mask protection, but the number of counterfeit products and poor quality masks is also increasing. The Canadian National Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) randomly purchased 10 brands of Chinese KN95 masks from major retail stores and online shopping platforms such as Amazon, and commissioned the University of Toronto School of Public Health to conduct tests to check whether these products met their claims of filtration efficiency. The worst filtering performance in the test was a KN95 mask called “Seal Goods”, which could only filter about 20% of suspended examples.
N95 masks are the specifications set by the U.S., and products must be tested and certified by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). KN95 is the Chinese standard for N95 masks, which is the Chinese government’s standard for masks based on the U.S. definition, claiming a filtration efficiency greater than or equal to 95%.
Li Shilin, who runs a medical clinic in Canada, said he buys medical supplies from reputable suppliers to ensure quality, and was surprised to see so many inferior Chinese products on the market. “It’s not like a vaccine that has 75% or 95% effectiveness, you can’t even get half, so what’s wrong with this product? How to circulate in the market. The so-called KN95, which has no protection, actually passed the test and was shipped to Canada.”
University of British Columbia School of Dentistry Professor Yukie Yamato said that last April the federal government ordered one million KN95 masks from China, and later returned all of them, which has exposed the problem of poor quality of Chinese masks, suggesting that if people want to buy medical masks, do not buy made in China. She said she knows friends from China will also avoid buying Chinese masks and will choose masks made in Taiwan or Japan. “When Canada bought masks with China, the results were bought only to find that they were completely substandard. It’s dangerous because it will make people who think I’m safe after wearing this, but it may not be safe. For health care workers and other high-risk people, they actually have to be very careful.”
Some Chinese-made mask boxes also have the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “FDA” printed on the outside of the box, but the FDA website states, “The FDA does not issue certificates of registration to medical device facilities and does not certify registered companies and listed products.” “The FDA trademark may not be used on materials from private companies.” So Dr. Jay Park, who specializes in testing masks in San Diego, California, warns consumers that if they see the FDA trademark on product packaging, it instead indicates the possibility that the product may be inferior or counterfeit.
Amazon Canada and Walmart have said they will remove products from their shelves if they are found to be substandard. Health Canada says it is “monitoring information on counterfeit, fraudulent and unauthorized personal protective equipment. Once violations are confirmed, they will not be allowed to be sold in Canada.”
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