Coronavirus: Hong Kong masks perform well against infections but many fail on hygiene and durability, Consumer Council study finds
- In tests on 30 models of surgical masks for sale in the city, consumer watchdog finds all but one meets basic infection prevention standards
- But 70 per cent fall short in other measures relating to bacteria levels, bodily fluid resistance and comfort
The vast majority of surgical masks on sale in Hong Kong meet minimum standards for protecting against infections, but 70 per cent of models have flaws in other areas such as hygiene and durability, according to a Consumer Council study.
Pharmacy chain Watsons, owned by city tycoon Li Ka-shing, was the most vocal of those disputing the findings, insisting its masks attained the highest American standards of protection.
The firm said it used the same laboratory as the one commissioned by the council to perform the tests, but found discrepancies between both sets of results.
All but one of the 30 models of single-use masks that the council tested reached 95 per cent or above for average bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) and particle filtration efficiency (PFE).
By doing so they were judged satisfactory in terms of guarding against infection, reaching the basic level one requirement under the American ASTM F2100 standard.
To obtain ASTM level two or three certification, which is the top standard available, BFE and PFE readings must hit at least 98 per cent.
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The price of each mask ranged from HK$2 to HK$9, with 18 marked as made in Hong Kong, eight in mainland China, and others from Taiwan and Vietnam.
The one model found in the study not to reach level one for countering infections was produced by Perfetta, a medical supplies manufacturer from Vietnam.
Its average PFE was only 86.64 per cent, failing to meet ASTM level two as claimed as well as falling far short of the most basic standard for protective efficacy.
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Lui Wing-cheong, vice-chairman of the council’s research and testing committee, said in general the masks sold in the city should be able to offer basic protection to consumers for daily use.
However, he warned that 70 per cent of the models performed poorly in other tests.
For example, three models were detected with relatively high levels of bioburden, referring to the number of bacteria living on a given surface.
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The ear straps of about a third of the models broke in stress tests, and one failed to meet the level one resistance requirement against penetration by bodily fluid.
“The council stresses that as face masks are crucial daily necessities against the pandemic, manufacturers should strictly monitor the quality and ensure all important information on the labelling is comprehensive and accurate, so as to ensure the best protection to consumers,” he said.
The tests showed the PFE readings on all five samples from each of four models were lower than the producers claimed. Two of those – from Tempo as well as Perfetta – also had a lower BFE than they had stated.
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The measured PFE or BFE in some samples of six models also did not meet their respective claims.
As to the tests for bodily fluid resistance, the council found that 21 models, or 70 per cent, demonstrated excellent performance, with none of their samples penetrated by synthetic blood.
The council said Powecom masks, labelled as an anti-dust product, performed poorly as nearly 85 per cent of samples were penetrated by synthetic blood.
Hong Kong customs also urged the public to stop using a mainland-made anti-dust surgical mask from Powecom as test results revealed the bacterial count exceeded the maximum permitted limit by 22.6 times, saying traders should remove the product from their shelves as well.
In disputed findings, 11 samples of Watsons’ masks, labelled as ASTM level three, were penetrated by synthetic blood.
However, Lui noted instances of blood or bodily fluid splashing on masks were relatively rare in daily life.
For hygiene standards, the study showed 90 per cent, or 27 models, met the European Union standard for levels of coliform forming, which is set at less than 30 units per gram.
The three models failing in this standard were Artec Med, Pure Living and Powecom, which recorded levels under the hygienic indicator ranging from 41.7 to above 159.4.
According to the council, the 159.4 reading from Powecom, from China, also exceeded the 100 limit of its home country’s “bacterial detection implement standard”.
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In breathability tests, pressure levels were measured in front of and behind masks to evaluate comfort. The council found the samples of four models might lead to user discomfort.
Under durability experiments, 11 models had at least one sample torn apart at below 10N tension, so were deemed unsatisfactory.
Among them, five models – from 7-Eleven, Family Mask, Fresh, HKTVmall and Tempo – had all four samples ripped apart at below 10N, which the council said could lead to waste and inconvenience for users.
Lui said, comparatively speaking, the masks from AMAG and EG provided high-filtration efficiencies at a reasonable price of HK$2 to HK$2.2 each.
“In general, face masks with BFE 95 per cent or above should be sufficient for providing protection in community settings,” he said.
However, Kim Siu Kin-man, general manager of A S Watson Industries which operates the Watsons pharmacy chain and produces more than 10 million masks per month, said it disagreed with the council’s findings on bodily fluid resistance in relation to its samples.
“We don’t agree with the Consumer Council test results regarding the resistance tests. We’ve used the same lab used by the council to conduct the resistance tests on the same batch of samples and we found that all the results were positive,” he said.
“Prior to that, this lab had also conducted tests for three times on our face masks and they all reached the required standard.”
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Siu said separately it had also hired three international accreditation institutions to conduct tests on the same batch of the samples and the results showed their products met the required standard.
“We have full confidence that our products have reached the highest standards,” Siu said.
HKTVmall said its masks were not designed for medical use, adding last month it conducted the bodily fluid resistance tests on the same batch of masks that the watchdog had looked at, with its results showing 89 of 96 samples passing.
In the report, Fresh’s distributor said there might have been errors in the council study because all tests from its Taiwan manufacturer had shown its masks met the standards.
Tempo also said that its products were proven to meet the BFE and PFE standards by various testing, saying the results might be affected by other factors such as temperature, humidity and storage conditions.
