I Bought Some N95 Masks At Menards - But I'm Not Sure About Them....

[global1]

The insert in the package says for painting, dust, etc - says nothing about viruses or medical applications.

Are these good enough to use for Covid or do I have to look for some 'medical grade' N95 masks?

[pwb]

1. Pretty sure same, same.

They were always for sale in paint departments. Small particle protection.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Are they NIOSH approved? Are they listed here?

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/N95list1.html

[hlthe2b]

4. If they have the exhalation vent that can be problematic and should not be allowed on airplanes

or indoor, extended, crowded exposures because your expirations are not filtered and could infect others.

That said, if they are 3-M N-95 rated, they do provide equivalent filtration of viruses. The difference between a medical-grade N95 respirator and an N95 particulate mask as you find at such stores is fluid resistance--an additional feature of medical respirators for obvious reasons including surgical use and around aerosols or respiratory/body fluids.

N95 particulate masks will break down over time with your own moist respiratory secretions so they do have to be replaced with multiple long term wearings.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Nothing To Worry About

The masks are graded on both the minimum size of particles captured & the materials on construction.
N95 specifications are clear in both regards.
There's not much difference other than to whom that brand is marketed.
Surgical grade masks are shaped slightly differently so that there is slightly more protection against the broad distribution of particle sizes. The density of the fibers are nearly identical.

[rownesheck]

6. Were they

11% off?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. The most important question is whether it's a real certified N95 or fake.

N95 is a particulate capture standard set by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory) and manufacturers cannot legally label products as N95 unless they have been tested and certified. I have heard there's a lot of imported masks around (especially on-line) labeled N95 that have not been NIOSH certified.

They all work the same except a special provision for Surgical N95 (I think it has to do with sterility) which you don't need.

You can check your masks to see if they are indeed real N95s here: https://www2a.cdc.gov/drds/cel/cel_form_code.asp

You need to select the proper search category, which I believe is "N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (N95 FFRs)" then click on "View Quick Results".

This should be the correct certification list for all common consumer N95s: https://www2a.cdc.gov/drds/cel/cel_results.asp?startrecord=1&maxrecords=50&NCSearch=NCQS&QSearch=N95_FFR

You can also type your brand and model number into their search window.

I prefer N100s by 3M over N95s because they have a soft rubber seal ring around the mask perimeter and therefore seal much better. Although it may be more expensive, it's best to buy masks from a professional safety supply company or an industrial supply company such as WW Grainger (see https://www.grainger.com/category/safety/respiratory-protection/disposable-respirators-masks/general-purpose-disposable-respirators-dust-masks?categoryIndex=3 as an example of an industrial supplier).

I personally don't trust everyday disposable N95s for protection against COVID in closed environments with lots of maskless people because they really do not seal well. If I had to be in a place like that often, I would wear a rubber half-face dual-cartridge mask such as 3M's 6200 mask with P100 cartridges.

Good luck.....

[Elwood P Dowd]

8. Mine say 3M, N95, and they have NIOSH after the proper use warning.

Got a box of 20 for nothing from a friend that has been using them at work for years. I do have a little difficulty breathing sometimes because they fit so tight. Wouldn't want to wear them all day.