No fake N95 masks detected in Idaho so far

SANDPOINT — No fake N95 masks appear to have made it into the northern Idaho supply chain of personal protective equipment, according to public health authorities.

Panhandle Health District spokeswoman Katherine Hoyer and Idaho Department of Health & Welfare spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr said none of the bogus respirator masks have turned up in their stockpiles. Johnny Hale of the Idaho PPE exchange also said they have not received any of the counterfeit masks, which turned up in Washington state's supply chain earlier this month.

Bonner General Health has also stated that it has not received any illegitimate face masks.

Counterfeit respirators are products that are falsely marketed and sold as being National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health-approved and may not be capable of providing appropriate respiratory protection to workers.

NIOSH-approved respirators have an approval label on or within the packaging of the respirator (i.e. on the box itself and/or within the users’ instructions), according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Additionally, an abbreviated approval is on the FFR itself. You can verify the approval number on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List or the NIOSH Trusted-Source page to determine if the respirator has been approved by NIOSH. NIOSH-approved FFRs will always have one the following designations: N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99, P100.

Signs that a respirator may be counterfeit include no markings at all on the filtering facepiece respirator, no approval number, no NIOSH markings and incorrectly spelled NIOSH markings. The presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons (e.g., sequins) and claims of approval for children can also be indicative of a counterfeit mask.

Bogus masks can also have ear loops instead of headbands, according to NIOSH.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.