(Yicai Global) Aug. 6 -- Beijing and Guangdong along with Henan and Shandong provinces recently inspected samples of non-surgical masks and found unqualified products in the market, which they blamed on a lack of supervision.

Guangdong checked 653 types of non-surgical mask made by 579 companies and found that 174 from 160 firms were not up to standard for reasons that included an inability to effectively filter out bacteria, viruses, and dust as well as leaky respiratory valves.

Henan province’s market regulator announced on Aug. 4 that 15 batches of masks failed to meet standards and their filtering efficiency measured 34.6 percent, when the usual requirement is at least 90 percent.

Beijing authorities inspected samples sold in the capital city and found many masks produced by Honeywell International and other companies were unqualified.

A large number of non-specialist manufacturers began turning out masks in China because of surging demand in the early stages of the novel coronavirus pandemic, unaware of the quality required and ignorant of standards, according to the head of one surgical mask maker. That led to masks that are not up to scratch entering the market.

Most of the unqualified products are from non-surgical mask producers, an expert on drug regulations said, adding that “surgical masks must be made according to standards.”

“Getting a registration certificate for surgical masks takes at least 57 hours, including putting the mask in a test box for 24 hours at 70 degrees Celsius and 24 hours at minus 30 degrees Celsius, to monitor the mask based on 14 aspects such as filter efficiency, resistance to airflow and fire,” he added.

Makers of non-surgical mask need just a day to get a license, and subsequent inspections are insufficient, so unqualified masks get into the market. Nobody will ever know the masks are sub-par without checks, a mask expert cautioned.

A total of 18,132 businesses registered to produce and develop masks in China between Jan. 1 and April 20, including Gree Electric Appliances, a number of carmakers, as well as small garment, footwear and headwear processing firms, according to data on the corporate information platform Qixinbao.

Editors: Zhang Yushuo, Peter Thomas