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The Department of Homeland Security issued a fraud alert to the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) on Friday, saying 40 hospitals across the state may have received fake masks in a shipment of $ 2 million. masks arrived in December, WSHA President and CEO Cassie Sauer told CNN on Monday.
The hospital association alerted all 40 hospitals, but many masks had already been used, Sauer said.
“They look and feel, fit and smell exactly like a 3M mask,” Sauer said.
The masks were purchased by hospitals and by the WSHA for distribution to its members, according to the association. Over a million dollars were spent on the purchase.
The hospital association meets with DHS and 3M to determine possible next steps. DHS was notified directly by 3M, the makers of the masks.
It is not known if the fakes are as effective as a real N95 mask. However, Sauer said they had not seen an increase in Covid-19 cases in the hospitals that had used them.
In a statement to CNN, 3M says it worked with “law enforcement and customs to prevent the sale and manufacture” of fake masks. The company said it has launched a “global effort to combat fraud, counterfeiting and price gouging to help protect the public from those who attempt to exploit demand for critical 3M products during a pandemic.”
It was confirmed that the N95 respirators were “purchased from distributors unrelated to 3M” and were “not genuine 3M products,” the company said.
The company “recommends purchasing our products only from an authorized 3M distributor.”
Sauer declined to say where the association purchased the masks, but that it was from a distributor the association uses frequently.
The filter works by trapping neutral particles such as bacteria and viruses before they pass through the mask, thus protecting the user and those around him. It’s similar to how socks can get stuck to a blanket in the dryer. The N95 mask also fits securely to the face, eliminating most of the leakage that can occur with a loose tissue or paper mask.
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