From Bona Fide Mask: DUE TO AN INCREASE IN COVID-19 CASES WE ARE NOW OFFERING FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING ON ALL KN95 FDA AUTHORIZED MASK ORDERS THRU 7/19/20! ALL ORDERS SHIP FROM OUR WAREHOUSE IN NEW YORK!
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Hey guys don't want to burst your bubble, however, what you are talking about is not a filtration test, but one that has been propagated by social media. You have sadly been misinformed. The only actual liquid barrier test that is performed on respirator masks is for a small classification known as Surgical N95's, which are considered medical devices by the FDA. Also, liquid barrier protection is rated by ASTM and not NIOSH. Your standard N95 from 3m or Honeywell is not designed for liquid barrier protection and the ability of it to hold water has zero impact on filtration. I emailed Powecom after seeing some of these posts just to be sure and recieved the following back:
IT IS NOT scientific to test qualified KN95 masks by pouring water into them. The dripping test is just a rumor. Firstly, water will destroy the protection ability of the melt blown filtering layer, that means: Water will destroy the effectiveness of the face mask; Secondly, too much water has weight (universal force[Laugh]) , so too much water will drip. Also, : The first layer of nonwoven material can let O2 (= oxygen ) pass through the face mask. That is why, the 1st Layer of face mask cannot 100% block water, especially when there is too much (for example, a cup of Water , too much water !!) pour in the face mask. This is not a scientific test and should not be used. Below are links from actual testing reports from the NPPTL that may be helpful Guangzhou Powecom Labor Insurance Supplies Co., Ltd.KN95GB262699.2898.962020-211.1pdf icon [cdc.gov] Guangzhou Powecom Labor Insurance Supplies Co., Ltd.KN95GB262699.5698.182020-303.1pdf icon [cdc.gov] Just want to make sure you guys have all the information. N95's are not for liquid barrier protection and neither are KN95's. The only liquid barrier protection masks are real ASTM surgical masks and Surgical N95's, which right now should be reserved ONLY for healthcare professionals. |
Statement for the Medical Device Respirator recalls in Canada
Guangzhou Powecom Labor Insurance Supplies Co., Ltd hereby declare that the following two importers are not our purchasers.We have not found any information about the relevant companies in the sales records. Our company has an export license. All exports in our company's name are genuine.
There are many fake products on the market. The products that fail to pass the inspection in Canada are not exported by our company. Obviously these are fake.
Our main task in February, March and April is to provide the Chinese government with a large number of high-quality and qualified masks.We've been on the EUA list since April 3 . In fact ,CDC has always tested the quality of all respirators,in order to ensure that all the respirators imported to the United States are safe and up to standard. The following four test reports were issued by NPPTL and can be read on CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/R...SULTS.HTML
Government of Canada has issued a RECALL on these products.
Health Canada has determined that certain respirators that do not meet performance standards may pose a health and safety risk to users when used in a setting that requires 95% filtration (such as a health care settings).
https://healthycanadian
Useful links regarding mask reuse and cleaning:
USA today has a good simple article about mask cleaning, including N95 (same as KN95):
https://www.usatoday.co
Official recommendation from CDC :
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/...xtuse.html
There's a dedicated website about disinfecting N95, contributed by renown researchers and professionals:
https://www.n95decon.or
https://www.n95decon.or
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1. The manufacturer has reached their capacity and if they want to make more then they will need to invest in new machinery since tossing more workers will no longer increase production aka running 24/7 in various shifts.
2. Companies do not want to invest more since the pay back is in years for the loans they need to take out. There are a few US based companies that were interviewed and they basically said that they can ramp up but in doing so, they risk going into bankruptcy when supply from overseas meets the demand. Hospitals, government agencies and other companies will go for something that is cheaper than made local, bidding process. No company will sign a long term contract if they know that around the corner, their suppliers will eventually provide them with mask they need at per Covid prices.
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1. The manufacturer has reached their capacity and if they want to make more then they will need to invest in new machinery since tossing more workers will no longer increase production aka running 24/7 in various shifts.
2. Companies do not want to invest more since the pay back is in years for the loans they need to take out. There are a few US based companies that were interviewed and they basically said that they can ramp up but in doing so, they risk going into bankruptcy when supply from overseas meets the demand. Hospitals, government agencies and other companies will go for something that is cheaper than made local, bidding process. No company will sign a long term contract if they know that around the corner, their suppliers will eventually provide them with mask they need at per Covid prices.
It couldn't be worse but only if the masks are genuine and you discard ones whose edges start to wrinkle from sweat. These were never meant to be reused.
In the private sector it is worse. Why do you think hospitals charge 10x for Tylenol, it is to make a profit and cover cost of those without insurance.
Same with masks. I would pay $4 a mask now but know that I will get my $1 a mask in a few months than pay $2.50 dollar a mask for 2 years or 3 years, even if it is made in the US, as long as I get what I want that meets my needs (N95 certified), I do not care.
Remember when this first started, people were complaining about "I use to buy this N95 mask for less than a dollar. No way will I pay $2 dollars. Then it was $3, then $5" Now, you can not even get N95 masks" We now turn to KN95.
Again .. No way will I buy KN95, that is Chinese. Now, I'll buy anything as long as it is on that FDA list.
Almost reminds me of the "I will never drink pee" but during a Hurricane .. you got one of those fancy straws that filter stuff? Let me try it with my pee or in any environment where water is scarce
But it was more important to have zero background Jared Kushner in on leading the effort than it was to protect American lives. At least we got to hear from the MyPillow guy during a press conference, that was helpful.
Since everyone is making mask right now, they are running out of high quality melt-blown fabric. And places like Taiwan able to get enough melt-blown fabric because back in Dec 2019 and Jan 2020, they already sign contract with those melt-blow fabric factory to get enough for their needs. While in USA, we are treating this like normal flu and do nothing to increase our capacity.
In addition in US, in order to certify as N95 mask, the factory need to pass certain test. And before, that kind of test can take months. So take time for factory to certify their mask as N95.
When you combine all of these, it takes a long time to make more N95. And that's why you only see a lot of poor quality 3-ply face mask that didn't meet any high USA standard like ASTM standard F2100 out there.
We have seen a lot of 3-ply face mask now and the cheaper one may not meet any standard since those cheap one likely have no quality control. In turn it is cheaper (and faster) to make but many of those factories didn't meet any sanitary standard (may be used to make toys, etc) and send out poor quality masks.
Right now, it is still hard to find N95 and ASTM F2100 mask out there at reasonable price because it takes time to start new production lines for high quality products that meet higher standard.
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