Half a million ‘faulty’ N-95 masks from China seized by US border agents, feds say

A shipment of 500,000 N-95 masks from China was seized by U.S. border agents after the respirators were determined to be faulty, officials say.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection took 30 masks from the shipment in Chicago and sent them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing, according to a news release. After three tested below a filter efficiency rating of 95%, the entire shipment was seized, officials say.

A New Jersey company was supposed to receive the masks. The shipment was valued at nearly $475,000.

“Our CBP officers working with partners in (Homeland Security Investigations) were able to stop these faulty masks from being sold under the guise of fully protecting Americans,” Shane Campbell, Area Port Director-Chicago, said in the news release. “These masks did not meet the safety standards outlined by the CDC, which puts the public at risk, jeopardizing the health and well being of everyone.”

The N-95 masks are in high demand in the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to the deaths of nearly 195,000 people in the U.S. as of Sept. 14, according to Johns Hopkins University.

An investigation of the shipment is ongoing.

This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Half a million ‘faulty’ N-95 masks from China seized by US border agents, feds say."