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A lot of the product descriptions just lie about that. I recently wanted to buy some dust masks during the fires here in California. People recommended getting

A lot of the product descriptions just lie about that. I recently wanted to buy some dust masks during the fires here in California. People recommended getting N95 certified masks, but when you go to Amazon and search for "N95" most of the listings will claim to be N95 certified but aren't listed on the government's lists of masks that are actually certified. I even found some masks that claimed to be certified and listed their certification number, but when I went to the NIOSH website the certification number was listed as "revoked". The only legit ones seem to be the 3M masks, and there's no telling if the ones they're selling are actually real.

DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
Thanks for posting this! I've been working around a lot of concrete dust lately, and it didn't occur to me that the N95 certs might be lies. Also didn't know there was a government website I could check against.
- mindslight 7y ago
  If you're really working around "a lot" of concrete dust, a 3M #7500 half-face base with a P100 (99.97%) filter eg #2297 will only cost you $30-$40. Much better at not fogging up glasses, too.
- DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
  Following up on the OP's reference to an official list of N95-certified masks: [0] (see also [1]) [0] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/n95list1.html https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/ https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/ > The only legit ones seem to be the 3M masks, and there's no telling if the ones they're selling are actually real. I think the OP misunderstood [0]. That page is specific to products from 3M, but it also links to the pages for other manufacturers' products.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
mcv 7y ago
But isn't it incredibly illegal to claim false certification? Sounds like all those products should be recalled and some companies should be getting steep fines.
- bradfa 7y ago
  I don't believe it's a felony or misdemeanor crime, but it could be copyright or trademark infringement if you use a safety approval logo on your product without paying and certifying your product with the agency who owns the logo. A company like UL could sue an infringer for using the UL marks on products which UL has not certified, but I think that's about it. UL enforcement info: https://www.ul.com/news/ul-teams-law-enforcement-brand-defense https://www.ul.com/news/ul-teams-law-enforcement-brand-defen... If you claim your device complies with regulations set forth by government agencies such as the FCC or OSHA when it does not, then I think the criminal or other special courts may get involved as it may no longer be just a civil matter. Although FCC violation investigation usually just involve recalling product and paying a "voluntary" fine (it's voluntary, unless you decide not to volunteer, and then it's no longer voluntary). FCC enforcement info: https://www.fcc.gov/general/enforcement-primer https://www.fcc.gov/general/enforcement-primer
  - Nextgrid 7y ago
    Wouldn't it be fraud? At least according to the UK definition of fraud (lying for profit) it would fit the bill.
    - bradfa 7y ago
      Yes, it could be.
    - diroussel 7y ago
      But if you order it on amazon and it’s shipped to you from China, then is it? And if it is you have no way to prosecute.
  - bradfa 7y ago
    I guess it could also be fraud to use something like a UL mark without paying and being certified, which could have criminal consequences. If the vendor is attempting to deceive customers by using the mark, it probably counts as fraud for marks that are well known or for specific purposes or industries.
masonic 7y ago
The same thing happened with fake eclipse glasses before the Great American Eclipse.

DoofusOfDeath 7y ago

Thanks for posting this! I've been working around a lot of concrete dust lately, and it didn't occur to me that the N95 certs might be lies. Also didn't know there was a government website I could check against.

mindslight 7y ago
If you're really working around "a lot" of concrete dust, a 3M #7500 half-face base with a P100 (99.97%) filter eg #2297 will only cost you $30-$40. Much better at not fogging up glasses, too.
DoofusOfDeath 7y ago
Following up on the OP's reference to an official list of N95-certified masks: [0] (see also [1]) [0] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/n95list1.html https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/ https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/ > The only legit ones seem to be the 3M masks, and there's no telling if the ones they're selling are actually real. I think the OP misunderstood [0]. That page is specific to products from 3M, but it also links to the pages for other manufacturers' products.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

mcv 7y ago

But isn't it incredibly illegal to claim false certification? Sounds like all those products should be recalled and some companies should be getting steep fines.

bradfa 7y ago
I don't believe it's a felony or misdemeanor crime, but it could be copyright or trademark infringement if you use a safety approval logo on your product without paying and certifying your product with the agency who owns the logo. A company like UL could sue an infringer for using the UL marks on products which UL has not certified, but I think that's about it. UL enforcement info: https://www.ul.com/news/ul-teams-law-enforcement-brand-defense https://www.ul.com/news/ul-teams-law-enforcement-brand-defen... If you claim your device complies with regulations set forth by government agencies such as the FCC or OSHA when it does not, then I think the criminal or other special courts may get involved as it may no longer be just a civil matter. Although FCC violation investigation usually just involve recalling product and paying a "voluntary" fine (it's voluntary, unless you decide not to volunteer, and then it's no longer voluntary). FCC enforcement info: https://www.fcc.gov/general/enforcement-primer https://www.fcc.gov/general/enforcement-primer
- Nextgrid 7y ago
  Wouldn't it be fraud? At least according to the UK definition of fraud (lying for profit) it would fit the bill.
  - bradfa 7y ago
    Yes, it could be.
  - diroussel 7y ago
    But if you order it on amazon and it’s shipped to you from China, then is it? And if it is you have no way to prosecute.
- bradfa 7y ago
  I guess it could also be fraud to use something like a UL mark without paying and being certified, which could have criminal consequences. If the vendor is attempting to deceive customers by using the mark, it probably counts as fraud for marks that are well known or for specific purposes or industries.

masonic 7y ago

The same thing happened with fake eclipse glasses before the Great American Eclipse.