The haze of the epidemic has been shrouded in the haze for more than two years, and Hong Kong people do not leave their masks when they go out. The Consumer Council tested 30 color masks on the market and found that the protective ability was no less than that of general surgical masks, and all of them reached at least ASTM Level 1. After a number of tests and price comparisons, the Consumer Council carefully selected 6 “value-for-money options” ranging from RMB 2 to RMB 4.3 each. Although the tested samples all have a certain filtration efficiency, 6 models contain bacteria higher than the EU standard, and the highest 1 model exceeds the standard by more than 6 times, which may cause skin problems; and 20 masks have samples that are lower than the claimed filtration efficiency.
The Consumer Council tested 30 types of colored or patterned masks purchased from April to June, including flat and three-dimensional masks, priced at 39 yuan to 198 yuan per box, generally a box of 30, with an average price of 1.5 yuan to 9.8 yuan each . The tests include mask filtration efficiency, ear strap tension, air permeability, etc. The results show that the quality of common color or pattern masks on the market is good, and no carcinogen azo dyes were found in all samples. The traditional blue and green masks that have been tested are inferior. In particular, 6 models (see table) have a total score of 5 out of 5 in the test, which is a good cost-effective choice, including the average price of 2 yuan each, “Shi’anbao” and “Simply Mask”. Produced, the most expensive 4.3 yuan each, “Yiu Space Studio” and “RAZE”, which launched masks in conjunction with many brands, are on the list. Another recommended flat mask is “Hong Kong Baojia 3-layer”. Protective masks”; and the only three-dimensional mask is “Weixin Technology”.
In terms of mask performance, 27 models claim to be ASTM Level 3 and 3 models are ASTM Level 2. ASTM is the American Society for Testing and Materials. The standard ASTM F2100 requires masks to be divided into three levels. Level 1 requires bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) to be greater than or equal to 95%, and levels 2 and 3 are greater than or equal to 98%. The test results show that the average value of most samples is higher than 99%, but the “Maskology” three-dimensional mask ($90/box) has 5 samples with 96.7% to 97.3%, which is lower than the claim.
Another measure of the antibacterial effectiveness of the mask is to check the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) of the mask. Level 1 requires greater than or equal to 95%, and Level 2 and Level 3 require greater than or equal to 98%. As a result, all samples also reached the level 1 standard, which is suitable for general community protection. However, there are 19 mask models, and at least one sample is less effective than the claimed one. Among them, the difference is “Facewear by Mask Factory” ($128/box) , with an average of 95.3%; while the individual samples of “Medox” cartoon masks with an average of 96.06% only scored 94.48%. The Consumer Council has notified Customs to take relevant actions, and Tam Fung-yee, chairman of the research and experimental group, said that whether the Trade Descriptions Ordinance is violated depends on the degree of difference between individual commodities. Director-General Huang Fengxian added that producers should step up quality control when they are confident they will meet high standards.
“CASETiFY” sample colony exceeded the European standard by more than 6 times
Masks are used as anti-epidemic products, but tests have found that 6 models contain bacteria, which may cause skin discomfort if worn for a long time, and even pose health risks to people with weak immunity. Referring to the relevant EU standards, the conference party found that there are 6 models with a total number of bacterial colonies higher than the limit of 30 per gram, namely “Stand Out”, “CASETiFY”, “Local Good Cover”, “Salvation”, “H-PLUS” and “Medox”, the total number of bacterial colonies per gram ranged from 65.1 to 219.9. Among them, “CASETiFY”, which sold an average of 5.3 yuan per gram, was the highest, exceeding the standard by more than 6 times.
The manufacturer responded that the product passed the relevant approval test
Customs said that it has followed up the test, and purchased 5 models during the inspection. During the test, it was found that 1 model has been removed from the shelves. Consumer rights will be protected in accordance with the Consumer Product Safety Ordinance and the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. For manufacturers, “Maskology” manufacturers refer to products that have passed the test of an accredited laboratory, and the filtration efficiency is affected by factors such as the environment, external force or ultraviolet rays, differences in raw materials, or transportation and storage.
“CASETiFY” means that it is suspected that a very small number of batches of samples were contaminated during the packaging, transportation, storage environment, purchasing channels, or during the process from taking out the mask to the testing process. Other manufacturers also claim that the product has passed the relevant accreditation tests.
Originally published on AM730 https://www.am730.com.hk/local/Consumer Council tested 6 types of color masks with bacteria exceeding the European standard – carefully selected 6 types of cost-effective choices/333791?utm_source=yahoorss&utm_medium=referral
