The Kenya Bureau of Standards has approved an additional standard with the aim to enhance quality and safety of face masks produced locally.
The Kenya Standard – KS 2924:2020, Personal Protective Equipment – Face Masks – Masks for public use – Requirements and Test Methods, prescribes minimum performance requirements for any material used for construction of face masks.
This is to allow producers to innovatively use materials for quality mass production.
“The additional standard outlines the minimum performance requirements of masks such as breathability, filtration efficiency, hydrophilicity and hydrophobic characteristics,”Managing Director KEBS Bernard Njiraini said.
The standard further recommends material for use in constructing face masks for general use without stifling innovation.
“The standard is based on experiences gained from Kenya Publicly Available Specification, Reusable cloth mask …as well as the latest research,” Njiraini said.
“We hope that increased production of quality face masks will boost efforts to reduce transmission of Covid-19 and lower the number of infections in the country.”
Three months ago, the Kenya Bureau of Standards delisted three companies manufacturing substandard face masks.
Kebs said it carried out a countrywide surveillance on surgical face masks and established that some unscrupulous manufacturers and economic operators were taking advantage to sale substandard masks.
The three included WAMNDAS manufactured by Wandas General Supplies, ARAX manufactured by Arax Mills and a brandless mask manufactured by Hela Intimates EPZ.
Kebs said the use of substandard medical face-masks or even misuse is highly risky because it gives one a false sense of protection thereby increasing the risk of exposure.
It is assumed that wearing masks reduces the likelihood of an infected person spreading the virus, and the likelihood of a properly masked person inhaling droplets containing the virus.
In a study published in the ‘Science Advances Journal’, health experts tested 14 commonly available masks.
They included the professionally fitted N95 respirator mask, usually reserved for health care workers.
The N95 came out on top, followed by the three-layered surgical mask.
Some homemade cotton masks also proved to be fairly effective in controlling the transmission of droplets.
The popular African-print masks are not as effective as others but better than none at all, the Ministry of Health says.