SwRI TESTING N95, KN95 RESPIRATORS, SURGICAL MASKS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

The Particle Science and Technology Laboratory at Southwest Research Institute has expanded its services to include mask testing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The testing will help health care and other organizations evaluate respirators, surgical face masks and filtration materials to ensure they meet particle filtration standards.

Recent testing at SwRI revealed eight out of the 11 KN95 respirator samples submitted by clients were counterfeit and failed to meet the U.S. standard for filtration efficiency set forth by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). Like the NIOSH-certified N95 respirators, uncertified KN95 respirators manufactured in China are supposed to filter out at least 95% of very small particles. However, once evaluated in the particle lab, the respirators did not perform as expected. While testing uncertified respirators is critical for safety, SwRI is also testing certified brands for additional quality control and assurance.