Canada Orders Recall of Chinese-Made KN95 Masks... Filtration Efficiency Only 1%

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Canadian Ministry of Health has issued a recall order for KN95 masks imported from China for medical use, CBC reported on the 13th (local time).

On the 11th, the Ministry of Health announced that KN95 masks produced by dozens of Chinese manufacturers "pose risks to users' health and safety," and issued a recall order to medical supply importers and distributors in Canada.

The announcement cited recent test results by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warning that some KN95 masks "did not meet the 95% filtration standard."

It added, "The Ministry of Health has determined that the risks of KN95 masks distributed in Canada outweigh the expected benefits."

However, the Ministry did not specify the volume of KN95 mask imports.

The Ministry has approved the use of KN95 masks in medical settings based on their standard to filter out 95% of airborne particles, and with the spread of COVID-19, has recognized Chinese KN95 products under the same standard.

However, the recent NIOSH test results showed that some KN95 products had filtration rates as low as 1%.

Meanwhile, as of this day, Canada has recorded a total of 72,278 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 5,409 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.