The Newest Concern Amid Battling Coronavirus: Spotting Counterfeit Respirators

From no NIOSH markings on the facepiece, to incorrect spellings, after-market decorative fabrics, and claims that respirators are safe for children, the warning about counterfeit respirators and products has raised a number of red flags throughout the United States.

One of the growing concerns within the healthcare industry during the fight against COVID-19 has caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a major warning about counterfeit respirators and products being falsely marketed and sold. A wide-range of faux NIOSH-approved respirators has been listed and described by the CDC while also shedding light on how to spot that a respirator might be counterfeit. 

From no NIOSH markings on the facepiece, to incorrect spellings, after-market decorative fabrics, and claims that respirators are safe for children, the warning about counterfeit respirators and products has raised a number of red flags throughout the United States.

In New Jersey, Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck discovered about 1,000 respirators they recently received were made of cloth and returned after failing to fit properly and lacking government safety standards. The act immediately prompted New Jersey Senator Vin Gopal to introduce legislation increasing “penalties for any person who creates or distributes counterfeit devices” during a state of emergency. Meanwhile in Missouri, the state announced it has recalled roughly 48,000 KN95 respirators initially distributed to first responders during the first week of April. To prevent the flood of fake respirators and facemasks from entering the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will seize exports of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will determine whether the equipment should be returned for use in the U.S., purchased by the U.S. government or exported.

Along with counterfeit respirators in circulation, “fake vendors” are being targeted for their fraudulent foray into exploiting the demand for N95 respirators as was seen this past week when 3M filed the first in a series of lawsuits in Florida. 3M now joins Honeywell and other manufacturers who are partnering with law enforcement to crackdown on phony N95 respirators on the open market from Minnesota to Massachusetts. 

So what are the keys for deciphering between fake and legitimate respirators?  

Like the N95 NIOSH certified facemasks carried by CovCare, NIOSH-approved respirators have six distinct markings on the facemask to show its authenticity: an approval number, model number, lot number (which is recommended but not required), a filter class and efficiency level, the NIOSH brand label, and a brand name or trademark. 

In the end, NIOSH-approved respirators must meet the minimum performance requirements, ensuring a minimum level of worker protection from airborne particulates (filtering out at least 95% of particles) and what healthcare workers could be exposed to when fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.  

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