Almost two-thirds of face masks on sale in Guangdong fail quality standards and some harbour highly infectious bacteria, according to a survey by provincial quality control inspectors in the lead up to the winter high season for influenza.
Inspectors from the Guangdong Quality and Technology Supervision Bureau examined 30 batches of cotton masks in Guangzhou and Foshan at the end of last month and found only 11 were up to scratch.
A further 11 batches were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, six tested positive for Streptococcus pyogenes and one had detectable levels of Seudomonas aeruginosa.
Six masks, including one produced in Xiantao, Hubei province, under the Kangyu brand name, were tainted with two types of bacteria.
A University of Hong Kong microbiology professor said the bacteria could cause a severe infection if they were inhaled and even result in pneumonia. The professor said Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be lethal for patients already suffering from serious infections.
'Pseudomonas aeruginosa is very antibiotic-resistant and therefore it makes infection very hard to treat. It is powerful and can affect a larger area. Sometimes patients with burns can die from the bacterium,' he said.
