Protect Yourself From Counterfeit PPE

By Bob Kronemyer

As the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) has remained at the forefront during the COVID-19 epidemic, there has been a heavy reliance on imported and online sources. However, many of these masks are counterfeit respirators, such as the KN95 masks from China, as opposed to a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved N95 respirator.

“This is a huge concern, and it’s something that we’ve been stressing because these counterfeits are putting people’s lives in danger,” Tener Veenema, PhD, MPH, RN, a professor of nursing at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, in Baltimore, said in a virtual news brief held by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

“Many hospitals are paying multiple dollars, but then find out that their purchase isn’t able to provide health care workers on the front lines with safety. The solution to this issue is the ample production of approved N95 masks where there is no break in the seal. Our attention needs to shift heavily to that.”

Adding to this predicament are the findings of a recent survey from ANA, which found that 42% of respondents still experience widespread or intermittent PPE shortages.

The online survey, which was filled out by over 21,000 American nurses from late July to early August, found that half of nurses reuse single-use PPE, like N95 masks, for at least five days, and that 68% said reuse is required by their facility’s policy.

The survey also revealed that 38% of nurses decontaminate their N95 masks, despite the fact that ANA does not consider the use of decontamination methods for masks as a standard practice. Overall, 53% of nurses said reusing and decontaminating masks makes them feel unsafe.

“Nurses feel stressed that they have to reuse masks, even with proper decontamination, because the materials will all eventually deteriorate,” Dr. Veenema said. “Masks can be contaminated with pathogens other than COVID-19, which further complicates their cleaning. Some nurses, even at large institutions, have been reusing masks since March.”

This is increasingly important as we near the fall where we can enter a new wave of COVID-19 or influenza spikes, she added.

“What we learned from the survey echoes what we have been hearing from nurses through our various communication channels and our interactions,” said Kendra McMillan, MPH, RN, a senior policy advisor at ANA.

This is the third COVID-19 survey conducted by ANA since March, which emulates findings of the second survey. “We did not see many changes between the second and third survey,” Ms. McMillan said. “Unfortunately, there was not an improvement in access to necessary PPE for care of COVID patients.”

ANA continues to advocate aggressively for nurses to have access to a sufficient supply of PPE by ramping up PPE production through the Defense Production Act, which will further bolster supply at sites most in need. “At this time, though, our data shows that nurses still do not have the supply that they require,” Ms. McMillan said.