Home » Technology » “The filtering of U-Masks is less than 95% required by law” – Corriere.it

“The filtering of U-Masks is less than 95% required by law” – Corriere.it

The pandemic has been going on for almost a year now, the masks have become part of our daily outfit, yet in many cases the quality of protective devices sold in Italy leaves something to be desired. The issue – essential for public health – has been at the center of investigations for some time Strip the news. Explain Moreno Morello, the correspondent dressed in white for the satirical news program created by Antonio Ricci: «We immediately noticed that the validation procedure of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, which should be an element of tranquility for all, leads people to believe that the Institute also controls the effectiveness of the devices, on the other hand, it is limited to a simple documentary check. The same erroneous perception arises with the CE marking (the alternative to ISS validation) because in essence it is the manufacturers themselves who mark the masks as CE, carrying out their own tests without anyone checking the result and therefore declaring compliance. And the sample tests we did have shown that they circulate too many masks not up to standard».

Over the past few weeks, Morello has been dealing with surgical masks produced by Fca: distributed in Italian schools with the logo of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, according to the analyzes of Strip they appear to have a filtering capacity well below the 95% required by law. Then it was the case of Invisimask, transparent reusable masks for medical use CE: from the tests carried out by Moreno Morello, however, a poor filtering capacity emerged, around 45%: less than half of what is required by law.

Tonight a new chapter (not the last …): Morello takes care of the U-Mask, «the first biotech mask, reusable for up to 200 hours of actual use », according to the company’s claim. Is everything regular Morello? “Distributed in 121 countries around the world, the U-Mask has been adopted by various sports federations, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren have it in Formula 1, it serves many companies, it is widespread in Parliament, Chiara Ferragni and Fedez wear it, yes found in the shops of major automotive brands, they say it has a molecule that destroys bacteria. In short, consumers have the perception of having superior protection on their nose and mouth compared to that guaranteed by surgical procedures, but the tests – carried out in several qualified laboratories – reveal that we are under several points. In short, the U-Mask they would filter less than 50 cents and they also cost 35 euros “.

Morello in the service broadcast tonight on Channel 5 also reveals how they are examined: «According to the company that produces the mask – given the particular structure and conformation – it could not be tested with traditional methods, so it was examined with their own method, innovative and personal. Too bad that the method should be validated“. In short, they produce them, have them tested independently and declare their compliance under their own responsibility. “A procedure required by law, but which can lend itself to errors, omissions or cunning on the part of producers, and which perhaps should be revised”.

The moral? “The approach a such a delicate subject such as prevention and safety it should be stricter. Because this opens the way to superficial companies – and in some cases in bad faith – that they can put on the market masks with CE marking who would not qualify. It is a dangerous attitude because for this type of devices (not so for personal protective equipment where the CE mark is followed by 4 digits of the Notified Body that screened them, ed) the consumer sees the CE mark and thinks that behind it has been a thorough check by a third party. Unfortunately, this is not the case, we are trusting what the manufacturer said, hoping that in its drawers it really has all the test reports and documents that the regulations require before placing a medical device on the market ».

The U-Mask Team he replies that «the company has already taken steps to protect its position in the competent offices, since the claims in the report are in no way pertinent and radically groundless. ‘ And he reiterates that «the method used to establish the protection coefficient of the masks fully complies with the relevant rules and laws. The measurement of these parameters was carried out by a highly qualified laboratory in the manner prescribed by current legislation. All the technical documentation relating to our devices has been sent, as required by law, to the competent authorities (Ministry of Health) which, having acknowledged the correctness of the accompanying documentation and the technical tests carried out, has ordered its approval».


January 25, 2021 (change January 25, 2021 | 16:42)

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