Top Surgical Masks Suppliers

Top Suppliers

Surgical masks are used every day by medical professionals to provide protection against the risk of infection, but consumer demand for them spikes at various times, such as when news surfaces about the spread of viruses such as the coronavirus. However, it is important to note that not all masks are created equal, and some do not provide protection at all. In this article, we’ll be providing information on CDC-approved suppliers of surgical masks, but first, we’ll be giving some background information on masks to enable better-informed sourcing. If you’re more interested in the production side of these masks, you can check out our article on how surgical masks are made.

What are the Safest Surgical Masks to Use?

Firstly, it is important to note that consumers in low-risk countries like the United States don’t need to wear masks at all to protect themselves from coronavirus, since it is so rare (the flu is a far greater threat, which can be avoided by getting flu shots and washing hands). If consumer demand continues to rise, moreover, there could be shortages or price spikes that prevent healthcare professionals, who are more at risk, from having access to them.

That being said, for medical professionals and markets in more at-risk areas like China, certain masks provide more protection than others.

N95 surgical masks (named because they filter out 95% of small particles) are the safest protection against illness. These are specialized masks meant for trained industry professionals, not consumers. N95s seal the area around the face completely when properly fitted, but they make breathing more of an effort. They also require the use of annual training and fit tests to ensure that the professional is still using them safely. Untrained wearers may not be able to fit them properly to their faces, or can compromise the seal by adjusting it incorrectly. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends N95 or P100 filters (which block 99.9% of .3 micron+ particles) for first responders potentially dealing with the disease.

Surgical masks, one of the most popular choices for consumers, are only mildly effective at stopping the spread of illness. Because of their loose fit to the face, matter can get around the edges of the mask and still enter the nose and mouth. Additionally, the filtering pores in the mask aren’t small enough to stop viruses. However, these masks do protect against spray, large droplets, and splashes, and they keep the wearer’s germs from spreading to other people. There is also one study by Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales, that shows they may have some effect. Her study showed that people who wore these masks in the same room as a sick family member reduced their risk of infection, but only if they wore them constantly while in the same room. Additionally, a separate trial by Dr. McIntyre showed that disposable masks carry lower risks for infection.
Cloth masks may actually cause harm since they can breed germs if they aren’t washed enough or retain moisture. They have not been proven to protect against illness at all.

Other masks such as painter’s or dust masks are also ineffective at protecting against illness, as they are designed to block larger particles than viruses from entering the nose and mouth.

Suppliers of CDC Approved N95 Respirators

This table ranks the suppliers of n95 respirators approved by the Centers for Disease Control in 2018 by annual sales. Additionally, information is outlined on company headquarters, models approved by the CDC, and annual company sales in millions of U.S. dollars. Dashes indicate where information was unavailable.

Table 1: Suppliers of CDC Approved N95 Respirators

Taken from the company website Company Private Labels of the Company Company Headquarters Product Models Annual Sales 1 Honeywell GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Sperian Respiratory Protection USA, LLC Santa Ana, CA ActiProtect UF, HC-NB095, HC-NB095F, HC-NB295FP 250+ 2 3M St. Paul, MN 1860, 1860s, 1870, 1805, 1805S, 1870+, 1804, 1804S 250+* 3 Kimberley-Clark Corporation Irving, TX 46827, 46867, 46727, 46767 250+* 4 Foss Performance Materials Foss Performance Materials, Nexera Medical Inc. Hampton, NH SpectraShield 9500, SpectraShield Protector N95 50-99.9 5 Prestige Ameritech Richland Hills, TX RP88020, USA-N95-S, RP88010, USA N95-R 50-99.9 6 Alpha Pro Tech Westchester, PA MAS 695 25-49.9 7 Louis M. Gerson Company, Inc. Gerson, SteelPro Middleboro, MA 1730, 2130, 2131 25-49.9 8 Makrite Ammex, Cardinal Health, CVS, Dentec Safety, Dynarex Corporation, Emerald Medical, Emerald Professional Products, and First Aid Direct, Livingstone International, Magid Glove and Safety, Makrite, Medline Industries, Precept Medical Products, Protective Industrial Products, Pyramex Safety Products, Safety Zone LLC New Taipei City, Taiwan* N95F, N95CMA, USA-N950S, USAN95-R, 399575, AD4N95, AD2N95A, 2295, 2296A, 2295A, N9500, N9500A, 305050A, FMN95RN, 910-N95, 910-N95, 910-N95S, 910-N95FMX, 9500-N95, 9500-N95S, NON24506, NON24507, NON24506A, NON24507A, 65-3395, 65-3395S, 2703000, 270-2000A, RM10, RS-900-N95A – 9 Moldex-Metric, Inc. Culver City, CA 1511, 1512, 1513, 1517, 2210GN95-XS, 2210GN95-S, 2210GN95-M/L, 2210GN95-LP, 1510, 1712, 3211N95-S, 3212N95-ML, 3217N95-LP – 10 Shanghai Dasheng Health Products Manufacture Company, Ltd. Shanghai, China* DTC3M-1, DTC3B – 11 Aero Pro Company Chenghua City, Taiwan* AP0018 N95, AP0028 – 12 Shanghai Gangkai Purifying Products Company Ltd. Shanghai, China* GIKO 1400 –

Honeywell, headquartered in Santa Ana, CA, supplies non-disposable respirators, filters and cartridges while also providing molded, half, and flat fold disposable N95 masks with and without valves. Honeywell also offers protection products for chemicals, vapors and gas, welding, airborne particulates, and contamination.

Based out of St. Paul, MN, 3M manufactures surgical masks, including with attached face shields as well as N95 respirators. The company also offers other surgical supplies including scrub, drapes, tape, skin prep, closures, antimicrobial dressing, and post-operative dressing.

Kimberley-Clark Corporation’s offerings include procedural, surgical and N95 masks, as well as face veils, filter, pleated, and children’s masks. The company is based in Irving, TX.

Headquartered in Hampton, NH, Foss Performance Materials’ SpectrasShield Products, through Nexera Medical, include N99 respirator masks and N95 protectors.

Prestige Ameritech, in Richland Hills, TX, offers surgical and N95 masks as well as face shields, glasses, and visors made in the USA. The company ships only within the United States.

Alpha Pro Tech, in Westchester, PA, manufactures its products in the USA. It supplies N95 respirators, as well as masks with and without shields, veils, and other medical personal protective clothing.

In Middleboro, MA, Louis M. Gerson Company offers disposable N95 respirators as molded and cupped disposable masks. The company also offers respirators and filters for welding, painting, silica and concrete, mold remediation and vapor.

Makrite, based out of Taiwan, has the most private label options on the list. Its products include industrial masks including both disposable and reusable types. It also offers surgical masks, including those with N95 respirators.

Moldex-Metric’s offerings include N95 surgical masks in multiple sizes, including flat-folding versions, as well as hearing protection products. The company, whose masks are made in the USA, is based in Culver City, CA.

Shanghai Dasheng Health Products Manufacture Company is headquartered in Shanghai, China. The company offers NIOSH regulation N95 and N99 masks as well as medical and other masks and goggles.

Aero Pro Company supplies molded and flat-folding disposable N95 surgical masks, folding N95 disposable respirators, and non N95 surgical masks in adult and children’s sizes. The company is based out of Changhua City, Taiwan.

Also based in Shanghai, Shanghai Gangkai Purifying Products Company supplies multiple-layer surgical masks for daily wear and N95 masks with activated carbon options.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve outlined basic information and company summaries of surgical mask suppliers approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, we hope this information will better enable you to source for what you need. If you would like to create your own shortlist of surgical mask suppliers, customized by diversity and certification filters, you can check out our Supplier Discovery page at Thomasnet.com, which has information on over 560 respirators suppliers and more than 50 suppliers of surgical masks.

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