Finding N95 masks in South Africa
March 1, 2023 7:39 AM Subscribe
How can I tell if N95 masks available to me in SA are safe and not fake?
As I understand it, an n95 mask is one that meets NIOSH standards. Which is a US thing. Does that apply outside the US?
This article describes how to check whether a mask really is N95.
Based on that, this is definitely not a real N95 mask, right? Some of the reviews mention small holes on the edges!?
What about this lot?
Some time ago a fellow SAcan here on AskMeta (I forget the username sorry!) said that they couldn't find any genuine n95s but that was some time ago.
As I understand it, an n95 mask is one that meets NIOSH standards. Which is a US thing. Does that apply outside the US?
This article describes how to check whether a mask really is N95.
Based on that, this is definitely not a real N95 mask, right? Some of the reviews mention small holes on the edges!?
What about this lot?
Some time ago a fellow SAcan here on AskMeta (I forget the username sorry!) said that they couldn't find any genuine n95s but that was some time ago.
Real N95 masks have loops that go around the back of your head, not around your ears (you can't get enough pressure for a good seal by pulling on your ears). So the two examples you link to are not N95. They are probably KN94, which are Korean masks, nothing to do with the N95 standard and far less effective (though still much better than nothing or a surgical mask).
You may also be able to find FFP2 masks, which are a roughly equivalent European standard to N95. An elastomeric respirator (the soft plastic kind with replaceable filters) might also be an option that is even better than N95.
posted by ssg at 7:56 AM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
You may also be able to find FFP2 masks, which are a roughly equivalent European standard to N95. An elastomeric respirator (the soft plastic kind with replaceable filters) might also be an option that is even better than N95.
posted by ssg at 7:56 AM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
The first site there is also selling these 3M N95 respirators.
Unless they're completely counterfeit (possible, I guess?) then they'll be proper n95 masks, the 3M 1860 is a NIOSH-approved N95 respirator.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:12 AM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Unless they're completely counterfeit (possible, I guess?) then they'll be proper n95 masks, the 3M 1860 is a NIOSH-approved N95 respirator.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:12 AM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
nothing to do with the N95 standard and far less effective
While I agree that NIOSH standards for N95 masks dictates the loop configuration as a necessary criteria for the seal, KF94 is the equivalent Korean standard, and i think it's in poor taste to claim that it's far less effective. Per this link for example: On the metric that most people care about (filtration effectiveness), they’re nearly identical. In most circumstances, mask users will not care about a 1% difference in filtration.
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Besides the 1% difference in filtration, there are some small differences in other factors.
- For example, the standards require N95 masks to be somewhat easier to breathe out of (“exhalation resistance”). But this doesn’t always mean they are more breathable than KF94.
- Korean masks are required to test for “CO2 clearance,” which prevents CO2 from building up inside the mask. In contrast, N95 masks don’t have this requirement.
-To get the mask label certified, Korea requires human fit-tests, like the one I’m doing below. The US N95 certification does not require a fit test.
Likely what's happening with the links you shared Zumbador, is that those are (market-available) N95 with earloops. I've seen 3M and Honeywell ones selling those here labelled as such (and they mark it as either headloop or earloop options). The filtration material is the same.
posted by cendawanita at 5:27 AM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
While I agree that NIOSH standards for N95 masks dictates the loop configuration as a necessary criteria for the seal, KF94 is the equivalent Korean standard, and i think it's in poor taste to claim that it's far less effective. Per this link for example: On the metric that most people care about (filtration effectiveness), they’re nearly identical. In most circumstances, mask users will not care about a 1% difference in filtration.
-----
Besides the 1% difference in filtration, there are some small differences in other factors.
- For example, the standards require N95 masks to be somewhat easier to breathe out of (“exhalation resistance”). But this doesn’t always mean they are more breathable than KF94.
- Korean masks are required to test for “CO2 clearance,” which prevents CO2 from building up inside the mask. In contrast, N95 masks don’t have this requirement.
-To get the mask label certified, Korea requires human fit-tests, like the one I’m doing below. The US N95 certification does not require a fit test.
Likely what's happening with the links you shared Zumbador, is that those are (market-available) N95 with earloops. I've seen 3M and Honeywell ones selling those here labelled as such (and they mark it as either headloop or earloop options). The filtration material is the same.
posted by cendawanita at 5:27 AM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
That user may have been me, and ohhhh, boy, I feel your pain. Isn't it helpful and awesome how we were warned that most masks being sold online were counterfeit, and then given absolutely no guidance for finding masks which were not counterfeit?
My understanding is that there is literally no way for a lay person to confirm physically that a particular mask really meets the specifications.This is something that you can only achieve if you can perform specialised tests with specialised lab equipment. All the supposed layperson-friendly tests are nonsense (whether they hold water, how breathable they are, whether you can blow out a candle, etc.).
Yes, you can determine with 100% certainty that a particular mask does not meet the specifications (e.g. an N95 mask which has ear loops or is child-sized, because these literally do not exist), but 1) such a mask could meet one of the other standards which theoretically offer the same level of protection, and 2) you can't prove that a mask which doesn't have anything obviously ruling it out is legit. A counterfeiter could make a mask that looks identical to a mask made by a legitimate manufacturer, using a cheap filtration medium which doesn't filter what it's supposed to filter. You have to trust the chain of suppliers getting the mask to you.
Neither of your links is a genuine N95 mask. They may be KN95, the Chinese equivalent standard which I believe allows ear loops. But whether they are real or fake KN95 masks, I have no idea (and I have like -300% confidence in some random reseller on Takealot; the medical supplier may be more legit, but the fact that they are advertising what is clearly not N95 as N95 does not fill me with confidence either).
The Korean standard is KF94; they tend to have a distinctive design which is not this. To the best of my knowledge, KF94 masks are seldom counterfeited, so if you can find a supplier who definitely gets them from Korea, they're probably legit. I considered this option, but the masks I found here were pretty expensive (compared to what I eventually found).
I did this dance when I wanted real N95 masks for a plane trip. My concrete advice: this moulded Dromex mask is the only definitely legit mask that I was able to find. Dromex is a real company; the masks are manufactured for them by a Chinese manufacturer; you can look up their NIOSH code and everything. Dromex only sells to distributors, not directly to the public, but if you call them they should be able to direct you to a distributor who can help you. If you send me a private message I can share the details for a distributor in Cape Town, but they're about a year old. (A frequent problem I ran into while looking for a supplier is that they just no longer stocked any of the masks they used to stock.)
These masks are moulded, and may or may not fit your face well or be comfortable -- I ended up wearing a plaster on my nose to prevent chafing. Anecdotally, I didn't get COVID during this trip (two long flights) and neither did the other person who wore these.
I keep these for special occasions only -- it was useful during the trip to have a mask that I could remove and replace quickly, without fiddling with my homemade solution. But for my daily masking needs I wear a well-fitted fabric mask (with a rigid nose piece and ties that go around my head, for a really tight seal all around) on top of a disposable surgical mask (for filtration). I don't know how well that compares to a proper mask, since I don't have access to the kind of testing environment that could tell me that, but my understanding is that good fit counts for a lot. I have had COVID zero times that I know of so far, but I'm fortunate to have a very low-risk lifestyle, so this is very tenuous anecdata.
posted by confluency at 10:33 AM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
My understanding is that there is literally no way for a lay person to confirm physically that a particular mask really meets the specifications.This is something that you can only achieve if you can perform specialised tests with specialised lab equipment. All the supposed layperson-friendly tests are nonsense (whether they hold water, how breathable they are, whether you can blow out a candle, etc.).
Yes, you can determine with 100% certainty that a particular mask does not meet the specifications (e.g. an N95 mask which has ear loops or is child-sized, because these literally do not exist), but 1) such a mask could meet one of the other standards which theoretically offer the same level of protection, and 2) you can't prove that a mask which doesn't have anything obviously ruling it out is legit. A counterfeiter could make a mask that looks identical to a mask made by a legitimate manufacturer, using a cheap filtration medium which doesn't filter what it's supposed to filter. You have to trust the chain of suppliers getting the mask to you.
Neither of your links is a genuine N95 mask. They may be KN95, the Chinese equivalent standard which I believe allows ear loops. But whether they are real or fake KN95 masks, I have no idea (and I have like -300% confidence in some random reseller on Takealot; the medical supplier may be more legit, but the fact that they are advertising what is clearly not N95 as N95 does not fill me with confidence either).
The Korean standard is KF94; they tend to have a distinctive design which is not this. To the best of my knowledge, KF94 masks are seldom counterfeited, so if you can find a supplier who definitely gets them from Korea, they're probably legit. I considered this option, but the masks I found here were pretty expensive (compared to what I eventually found).
I did this dance when I wanted real N95 masks for a plane trip. My concrete advice: this moulded Dromex mask is the only definitely legit mask that I was able to find. Dromex is a real company; the masks are manufactured for them by a Chinese manufacturer; you can look up their NIOSH code and everything. Dromex only sells to distributors, not directly to the public, but if you call them they should be able to direct you to a distributor who can help you. If you send me a private message I can share the details for a distributor in Cape Town, but they're about a year old. (A frequent problem I ran into while looking for a supplier is that they just no longer stocked any of the masks they used to stock.)
These masks are moulded, and may or may not fit your face well or be comfortable -- I ended up wearing a plaster on my nose to prevent chafing. Anecdotally, I didn't get COVID during this trip (two long flights) and neither did the other person who wore these.
I keep these for special occasions only -- it was useful during the trip to have a mask that I could remove and replace quickly, without fiddling with my homemade solution. But for my daily masking needs I wear a well-fitted fabric mask (with a rigid nose piece and ties that go around my head, for a really tight seal all around) on top of a disposable surgical mask (for filtration). I don't know how well that compares to a proper mask, since I don't have access to the kind of testing environment that could tell me that, but my understanding is that good fit counts for a lot. I have had COVID zero times that I know of so far, but I'm fortunate to have a very low-risk lifestyle, so this is very tenuous anecdata.
posted by confluency at 10:33 AM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
(To clarify, I'm sure that other real N95 respirators are being imported into the country; the one I linked is just the only one that I could personally verify and also find in stock and get my hands on. YMMV; my approach was to start with trusted manufacturers and try to find a verified supplier for that manufacturer; this was a year ago and today there may be other options.)
posted by confluency at 12:24 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by confluency at 12:24 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
I just wanted to point out that the "small holes on the edges" aren't a cause for concern - they are just a line of points where the different layers of synthetic plastic fibers are fused together. The fused plastic is transparent, but not air-permeable.
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 7:52 AM on March 1, 2023 [3 favorites]