Are KN 95 masks as good as N 95 masks?

[Kitiger, RN]

I think the KN 95 masks are from China. Are they interchangeable with our N 95 masks? My husband says they are made from the same material.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

FDA belatedly gave approval...3M found them to be equal to N95. Better than a bandana!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/fda-china-kn95-us-certain-criteria/index.html

Comparison of FFP2, KN95, and N95 Filtering Facepiece ... - 3M

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1791500O/comparison-ffp2-kn95-n95-filtering-facepiece-respirator-classes-tb.pdf

Quote

Based on this comparison, it is reasonable to consider China KN95, AS/NZ P2, Korea 1st Class, and Japan DS FFRs as “equivalent” to US NIOSH N95 and European FFP2 respirators, for filtering non-oil-based particles such as those resulting from wildfires, PM 2.5 air pollution, volcanic eruptions, or bioaerosols (e.g. viruses).

Best wishes to those on the frontline.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

There are a great deal of counterfeit KN95 and N95 coming from China. I saw one today. It was not even the equivalent of a surgical mask.

[Kitiger, RN]

17 minutes ago, SummitRN said:

There are a great deal of counterfeit KN95 and N95 coming from China. I saw one today. It was not even the equivalent of a surgical mask.

Ouch. If you ordered some, you wouldn't know until they arrived whether or not they were any good.

It could be money well spent or money down the drain.

[caliotter3]

I see more and more of the general public wearing masks out and about, all kinds of masks. I just wish I could find some genuine masks. A lady in a store told me that I could still find some online but I am not in a hurry to possibly get ripped off.