Masks stink. Is this normal?

November 14, 2021 3:57 PM

I will soon be getting on an airplane for the first time in two years. I bought some N95 and KN95 masks to up my mask game for the trip. I've heard that Amazon has lots of fake masks (surprise!), so I bought them from this seemingly reputable site. Just opened both the N95 and KN95 and they stink with a chemical smell. Is this normal, and ok?
posted by swheatie to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

I think not. You should report to Amazon and consider reporting to the CDC as well with as much label information as possible. You should also review this page which lists info from the CDC and also has contact info at the bottom you might want to send a note to.
posted by glaucon at 4:03 PM on November 14, 2021

My 3M N95 masks all smell like bleached paper when I unwrap them. It seems normal to me since that’s what they’re made of? If I open them a few hours before I need to use them the smell dissipates and they’re a lot more pleasant to wear.
posted by corey flood at 4:13 PM on November 14, 2021 [7 favorites]

I bought mine from Bona Fide and they didn't smell. I don't know if you got a bad batch or what, though.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:46 PM on November 14, 2021

I've always noticed a smell on freshly opened masks. I've purchased the FLTR95 from Costco, 4 different versions of KF94 from Be Healthy. All of them have a smell that dissipates. Seems normal to me...
posted by skunk pig at 4:51 PM on November 14, 2021 [4 favorites]

The masks I’ve bought always smell a little funny when I first put them on — a chemical smell, as you note.
posted by holborne at 5:10 PM on November 14, 2021

Do you have a very good sense of smell? I don't. My partner does. They say that our favorite N95s have a distinct chemical smell but I never notice.
posted by Frowner at 5:24 PM on November 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

I had a pack of KN95 masks with an odd smell like ink or dye, but I assume that's because they were in different colors. The smell went away about 5 minutes after I opened them.
posted by erst at 5:30 PM on November 14, 2021

Practically all KN95s and N95s are made of plastic (meltblown polypropylene), so yes there are plastics involved that can out-gas just like new cars and foam mattresses. It's possible that the current heavy demand means that there is a much shorter time from production to your hands, or they're skipping an "airing out" step. It's also possible that you're unusually sensitive to these types of smells, especially when they're sitting on your face.

I've got KN95s from Bona Fide and I can't detect any odor, but I don't have a great sense of smell. I'd open up the package, take out the masks, and air them out for a bit.
posted by meowzilla at 5:35 PM on November 14, 2021

Response by poster: Okay, thanks, everyone. It sounds like this is in the range of normal. And since some folks have bought from Bona Fide, that's reassuring.
posted by swheatie at 5:44 PM on November 14, 2021

Just chiming in that the K95s I’ve gotten from Bona Fide (several separate orders, months apart, so not just one batch) have a distinctive chemical smell to me - not strong enough that I’d call it a “stink,” but I don’t love it. My spouse doesn’t smell it. It does dissipate pretty well after the pack’s opened.
posted by Kriesa at 6:05 PM on November 14, 2021

Yep, my KN95s (powecom from BonaFide) always have a smell right when I open the pack, and even after being out a while, they still smell different than my cloth masks—I get accustomed/nose-blind to it quickly. I’ve always assumed it’s the meltblown plastic, as I’ve got a pretty sensitive sense of smell. My partner has never mentioned it, nor my parents, and I buy masks for all 4 of us.
posted by assenav at 6:34 PM on November 14, 2021

The KN95s I got from a local public health department (they sometimes handed out packs at the testing site I went to) smelled unpleasantly chemical-y to me when I wore one straight out of the package. If I let them air out (even just for an hour or two) I don't notice it.
posted by mskyle at 6:59 PM on November 14, 2021

All my masks have had this "plastic" smell, I think it's one of those things some people are more sensitive to than others. I've found they're fine if you air them out beforehand, personally I hang them all out to air in my flat before repacking them into my mask travel case.
posted by stillnocturnal at 4:39 AM on November 15, 2021

When I buy a pack of masks, I open them up in my house and let them off-gas for a day or two and they're much better. If I leave them out for a much longer amount of time, they lose all traces of smell.
posted by quince at 11:30 AM on November 15, 2021