Tips To Recognize If An N95 Mask Is Genuine Or Fake

Pollution has been on the rise these days affecting millions of people in different ways. While a majority of people fall prey to the tiny pollutants by suffering from respiratory illness others might suffer even the worse. It is practically not possible to combat pollution in a short span as numerous activities happen every day that contribute to air pollution. Hence one must take the responsibility of their safety themselves. This can be ensured by wearing certain marks that can stop the inlet of air pollutants in your body. Not wearing such masks can cause respiratory diseases which can also be life-threatening at a later stage. The effect of the harmful particles is not felt immediately rather at a later stage when the concern is high. Hence to stay safe from the beginning one must learn about N95 masks. Wearing any random mask will not help you as the air pollution particles are as small as PM2.5 which are harmful to human lungs. Being so tiny they can easily penetrate through your mask if the mask is of poor quality or is made of a single layer. 

The role of respirators:

Respirators are designed in a way that they filter out these tiny harmful particulate matters in air. The genuine respirator can even filter out particles as small as 0.3 microns. The fabrics in the respirators help them do this. It is important to distinguish between a fake and a real respiratory mask. People confuse Pandemic Pal Face Masks with fake masks that do not serve the purpose. A true respiratory mask is so powerful that it has even achieved the status of CE and ISI certified respirators. However, simply going to a shop and asking for an N95 Respirator mask doesn’t mean that the mask is genuine. Hence, knowing to distinguish between a fake and a real mask will serve a great deal. 

The reason why fake products are on a rise is that N95 masks have been given the status of powerful masks. This has encouraged counterfeit and fake products in the market. Many masks have N95 written on them which does not justify their genuineness. Hence consider the points below to identify how genuine the mask is. 

Tips to identify an N95 Mask:

• One thing users can do is visit the NIOSH website to the list of certified and licence holders manufacturers of the N95 masks. You must identify the TC number on the mask. A real N95 mask must have the TC marking, model number, exterior markings, LOT Number, NIOSH name and a filter designation.
• You can open your favourite browser and enter the NIOSH TC number of your mask. Click on the results and enter the TC number on the search box. You must get the name of the manufacturer only if the TC number is correct. 
• If there is no manufacturer’s name displayed you must understand that the mask is fake. You can also check a few basic things like whether the spelling of NIOSH is correctly printed 

The above points can help you choose the correct masks and save you from being prey to a cheap unworthy mask. 

Some other signs that can tell whether the masks is counterfeit are:

• No markings at all on the mask
• No TC approval number
• Presence of some decorative add-ons or other fabric
• Claims for approval of Children
• Ears loops instead of the Headbands.

NIOSH had also initially reported about the VRN95 Valmy model misinterpreting as N95 masks. NIOSH doesn’t approve any such models. Products that have labelled as Espomega or DErmacare and more are the fake ones. Even infotech safety Pvt Ltd is also not a NIOSH approved mask. There had been many cases of misleading news stating other manufacturers as NIOSH approved ones. Many websites claim to be a provider of N95 but all the claims have been declared false by NIOSH such as B130 and B150. Some cases of false letters being issued by NIOSH were also released in the news. The letters to Flying medical Products Pvt Ltd were also declared false by NIOSH. All the news and reports that have stated any agreement with NIOSH has been claimed falsely by the same. Some products were labelled GRANDE with various TC Numbers are also not approved by NIOSH. 

Stay aware of fake news:

Fake news regarding the N95 respirator masks has been on the rise overtime. Many companies have come forward claiming their products to be the true N95 and misleading people. People who are unaware of the tip to check for an N95 mask buy the fake ones. Fake masks offer no or limited protection from harmful respiratory diseases. 

Hence, Pandemic Pal Face Masks must be bought only by checking the tips mentioned in the points above. Your safety is in your hands.