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ECRI Test Results

ECRI tested samples of Zhejiang Baiyi Intelligent Garment Co. KN95 masks. They found: 1) Filtration efficiency was above 97%, exceeding the minimum N95 requirement and better than what NIOSH found in previous tests. 2) Breathing resistance increased steeply over the course of testing, suggesting more limited wear time than other masks. Initial resistance was acceptable but higher than many other masks. 3) The manufacturer recommends replacing the mask every 4 hours, shorter than the typical 8 hour replacement time of N95 masks.

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4K views

ECRI Test Results

ECRI tested samples of Zhejiang Baiyi Intelligent Garment Co. KN95 masks. They found: 1) Filtration efficiency was above 97%, exceeding the minimum N95 requirement and better than what NIOSH found in previous tests. 2) Breathing resistance increased steeply over the course of testing, suggesting more limited wear time than other masks. Initial resistance was acceptable but higher than many other masks. 3) The manufacturer recommends replacing the mask every 4 hours, shorter than the typical 8 hour replacement time of N95 masks.

Uploaded by

Adam Harrington
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Assessment of Chicago KN95 Mask

March 8, 2022

Summary of ECRI Findings


Filtration Efficiency
• Based on the limited number of samples tested, we found that the Zhejiang Baiyi Intelligent
Garment Co. KN95 Respiratory Protection Mask exhibits excellent particle filtration performance.
This respirator mask appears to exceed the minimum requirement (i.e., ≥ 95%) for an N95
• Both the school and community masks tested exhibited filtration efficiencies of > 97%
• The filtration performance for the limited number of samples tested appear to be superior to
what NIOSH found when it tested the Zhejiang KN95 in 2020, that found filtration performance
varied between 78% – 99%. Links to NIOSH reports:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/respirators/testing/results/MTT-2020-
199.1_International_ZhejiangBaiyi_KN95RespiratoryProtectionMask_TestReport_Redacted-
508.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/respirators/testing/results/MTT-2020-
213.1_International_ZhejiangBaiyi_LB_TestReport_Redacted-508.pdf

• Presumably the school and community masks came from different manufacturing lots. While we
likely only tested samples from two manufacturing lots, it is encouraging to see that the variation
in filtration efficiency within and between the two lots varies so little. This may be an indication
that the manufacturer employs tighter quality control processes in their production of the mask,
although we caution that our tested involved only a small number of samples and manufacturing
lots.

Breathing Resistance
• We noted that during filtration efficiency testing, as the masks were cumulatively exposed to
particles during the 10 minute test, the respirator mask’s resistance to air flow for all samples
tested rose steeply (with final values ranging from 3 – 5 times the initial resistance). This degree
of increase is not common in our experience. We observed the pronounced increase with both
the community and school masks and it may suggest that the mask has a more limited wear-life
than other respirator masks.
• The breathing resistance test for inhalation and exhalation using pure air found that the
resistance levels were acceptable, although higher than many respirator masks we’ve evaluated.
• As air flow resistance increases, wearers may find breathing through the mask becomes more
fatiguing.
• We were surprised to see that the labeling on the community KN95 box states that the mask
recommended replacement time is 4 hours (see Photo 1 below). We have not seen such a
limited recommended wear time with other KN95s we previously tested.
• For comparison, N95 manufacturers expect that in industrial applications the masks will
commonly be worn for an 8 hour shift before being discarded. Earlier in the pandemic when

5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462


e [email protected] | w www.ecri.org
masks were in short supply many healthcare workers wore them for accumulated times likely well
in excess of 8 hours

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Photo 1: Instructions for use for KN95

5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462


e [email protected] | w www.ecri.org
Photo 2: Wrapper for KN95

5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462


e [email protected] | w www.ecri.org

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