The warning, however, has not been enough to stop the entire sale of counterfeit masks at the same price as authentic ones, which have been gouged from 60 cents a mask before the pandemic to $6 a piece now, according to AP. The rise in counterfeit masks stems from a government decision in March to allow providers to use other unapproved medical masks with ear loops in order to offset the shortage of N95 masks. It partially reversed its stance this month after finding many models to be substandard and banned imports from 65 Chinese factories. Shanghai Dasheng is one of 14 that remain approved.

The relaxation of these standards costs state and local governments and hospitals hundreds of millions spent on flawed items. AP tracked other shipments of Shanghai Dasheng ear loop N95 masks as they arrived at U.S. hospitals and healthcare organizations through shipping labels and invoices, certified letters and interviews with buyers, distributors and middlemen.


One buyer was pediatric physician assistant Tyler Alvare of Alexandria, Virginia who, upon learning of the issue with the Shanghai Dasheng ear loop masks, immediately notified everyone he gave one to. He blames the government for placing the responsibility of obtaining enough protective equipment on healthcare systems, rather than taking on the task itself. “It’s really outside of our area of expertise.”

To help prevent further counterfeit sales, the CDC has issued a set of pointers for distinguishing authentic from fake respirators.

Signs that a respirator may be counterfeit:
No markings at all on the filtering face piece respirator
No approval (TC) number on filtering face piece respirator or headband
No NIOSH markings
NIOSH spelled incorrectly
Presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons (e.g., sequins)
Claims of approval for children (NIOSH does not approve any type of respiratory protection for children)
Filtering face piece respirator has ear loops instead of headbands

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