The way you can tell an N95 mask is a real bargain is because N95 masks are all approved by the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The best disposable face masks, of course, are N95 masks – the pandemics gold standard, approved by NIOSH, that filters 95 percent of airborne particles. While cloth, reusable masks were recommended until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other experts have acknowledged that N95, KN95, or KF94 masks offer the best protection in enclosed, public spaces, given how transmissible the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variation is. As public health officials have rushed to minimize spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant, many experts recommend people transition away from cloth or surgical masks toward more protective N95 and KN95 masks.
Of course, black N95 mask is CDC- approved, so long as you can check in the official CDC website.
Because of the highly contagious Omicron variant, some experts are advising the public to wear well-fitting, high-filtration masks such as N95s–typically used by healthcare workers in high-risk environments–amid concerns that the commonly used cloth and surgical masks may not provide sufficient protection. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that any well-fitting mask should do, experts are encouraging the public to use higher-quality masks, like the KN95s or the NIOSH-approved N95s from NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health). Because the NIOSH-approved N95 masks are no longer available, the CDCs guidelines suggest people can opt to use NIOSH-approved N95s instead of cloth masks for their own use. In its consumer guidance on face masks, CDC notes that the N95 and other NIOSH-approved respirators are the more protective options.
When shopping for a N95 mask, you can check the CDCs NIOSH-approved list of N95 respirators to verify the mask you are looking at has been tested and meets NIOSH regulations. One way to tell whether or not your N95 mask is a legitimate, NIOSH-approved respirator is by searching it in the NIOSH certified equipment list (CEL). If you have questions about a particular mask, you may want to see whether or not it is listed among NIOSHs approved N95s. You should be able to see the companys name or logo directly on the mask, if it is N95, KN95, or KF94.
However, CDC warned 60 percent of the KN95 respirators in the nation were fakes that did not comply with NIOSH requirements. FDA has since pulled an EUA on the unapproved respirators, as some KN95 masks might not necessarily be up to US standards for filtering.
KN95 is a Chinese respirator standard, but those respirators are not tightly regulated by the Korean government, according to both Collins and Annie Miller, who runs the nonprofit N95 Project, which matches consumers with legit masks and other PPE. KN95 masks are Chinas equivalent to an N95 respirator in the United States. A Chinese government agency, similar to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the United States, sets KN95 mask standards in China. For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans that respirators–both N95 and KN95 masks–offer better protection than cloth face coverings, stopping short of explicitly recommending one mask over another.