N95 Niosh-Approved Masks are masks that have obtained the mandatory safety standards for respirators in the United States. This standard can only be passed by the EPA (a federal agency that has passed the N95 standard).

N95 Niosh-Approved Masks information introduction

N95 Niosh-Approved Masks said that under the testing conditions specified in the NIOSH standard, the filter material of the mask has a filtration efficiency of 95% for non-oily particles (such as dust, acid mist, paint mist, microorganisms, etc.).

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a federal agency dedicated to generating new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and converting that knowledge into practice to improve workers.

The N95 mask is one of the nine anti-particulate masks certified by NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health). “N” means not suitable for oily particles (the fume produced by cooking is oily particles, and the droplets produced by people talking or coughing are not oily); “95” means the filtration efficiency under the test conditions specified by the NIOSH standard Reach 95%. N95 is not a specific product name. As long as the products meet the N95 standard and pass the NIOSH review, they can be called “N95 masks”.

According to the filtering characteristics of the middle filter of the mask, it is divided into the following three types:

N series: N stands for Not resistant to oil, which can be used to protect non-oily suspended particles.
R series: R stands for Resistant to oil, which can be used to protect non-oily and oily suspended particles.
P series: P stands for oil Proof, which can be used to protect non-oily and oily suspended particles.

According to the lowest filtration efficiency of the filter material, masks can be divided into the following three levels:

Level 95: indicates that the minimum filtration efficiency is 95%.
Level 99: indicates that the minimum filtration efficiency is 99%.
Level 100: Indicates that the minimum filtration efficiency is 99.97%.

The combination is N100, N99, N95, R100, R99, R95, P100, P99, P95. There are 9 kinds in total.

N95 Niosh-Approved Masks application process

For manufacturers who apply for N95 for the first time, the application is divided into two stages:

The first stage. Submit a questionnaire (given by NPPTL) and photos (appearance of the company’s factory, product production line, etc.) for NPPTL evaluation. After the NPPTL evaluation is qualified, the manufacturer will be given an enterprise code and other relevant information, and the first stage is over. It will take about 3 weeks to one month to complete the first stage from the submission of the information.

second stage. After the first stage is over and the documents sent by NPPTL are received, detailed application materials are prepared. In addition to filling out the standard form, the company also needs to provide the following materials that meet the standard requirements: Pre-test data, Drawings, Assembly Matrix, Draft approval labels,QA manual,Process Quality Control Plan,Service Life Plan,User’s Instructions,Test samples and Hardware.

Pay the inspection fee in advance when submitting the information. If the submitted materials are unqualified, NPPTL will request rectification and provide it again. Everything went well, starting from the submission of information, the second phase will take about 3-4 months.

The manufacturer obtains N95 Niosh-Approved Masks. NIOSH will conduct random checks on the certified products sold by the manufacturer on the market every year to determine whether the company always meets the requirements of N95.

N95 Niosh-Approved Masks application notes

N95 certificates will only be issued to entities that can control product design, and only manufacturers and designers (contracted by others) can apply. Importers or any distributors cannot be the beneficiaries of the N95 certificate, which means that the N95 certificate will not be issued to them, whether it is a secondary conversion or they reapply (for the manufacturer’s product).

N95 certification is charged according to the model. The more models, the more expensive the cost. The specific classification is determined by NPPTL evaluation. That is to say, if the manufacturer provides a series model when applying, there are several small models below, NPPTL may require the manufacturer The model is divided and refined.

The above is the introduction about N95 Niosh-Approved Masks. If you want to know more about masks or buy masks, please contact us!