The marketing and packaging for Makana Mask says "N95 Rated", yet it isn't listed on the NIOSH website and lacks a NIOSH TC number on the mask or filter media. I checked out the mask and the marketing claims to see if I could find NIOSH approval, and I tested the performance of the mask on me with a PortaCount mask fit testing machine. (Mask fit is very individual, your fit could be very different than mine.)
The Makana Mask was made during the pandemic. It is a type of compact elastomeric mask with replaceable flat filters which snap in between the mask frame and cover. It has some really interesting qualities in addition to its nice appearance. The most notable is the memory foam face seal, which I've not seen anywhere else. It seems to have decent filter media based on the Nelson Labs report they have posted,. I like the transparency of publishing lab data, yet in this case it seems less like transparency and more like an attempt to imply that the mask is approved or partially approved by NIOSH, claiming it is "pre-certified by Nelson Labs as N95".
To my mind, it is very odd for Makana to be making claims about being "N95 Rated" when that does not seem to be the case. Pre-application private lab testing does not make a mask or filter "N95 Rated". Razer got a million dollar fine for making a similar claim calling their Razer Zephyr mask "N95 -grade" without being a NIOSH approved mask. I'm a bit flummoxed that Makana, a company capable of making such a professional seeming mask would continue to use marketing that is similar to that which resulted in a million dollar fine.
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makanamasks.com/
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The NIOSH search page, where Makana Mask does not appear as a manufacturer.
wwwn.cdc.gov/NIOSH-CEL/
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Google site search for "Makana" on the CDC site, which gives: "Your search - "makana" mask site:/www.cdc.gov - did not match any documents."
www.google.com/search?q=%22makana%22+mask+site%3A%2Fwww.cdc.gov
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I used an 8038 PortaCount mask fit testing machine for the fit testing in the video. It samples ambient air through a tube and samples air inside the mask using a second tube. It compares the concentration of particles outside the mask to the concentration inside the mask, and gives a ratio of outside to inside called a "Fit Factor". The fit factor essentially tells you how much cleaner the air is inside the mask. A fit factor of 10 can be thought of as meaning that the air inside the mask is 10 times cleaner. You need a fit factor of 100 to pass a fit test in an N95 mask.
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You can do your own fit test at home using a nano mister and fit testing solution that you can taste if it gets in your mask. Fit Tests 4 All has a complete, reasonably priced kit they sell.
You can check out my video on the kit here:
th-cam.com/video/-UEKtJRI4pk/w-d-xo.html
This kind of testing does get bitter or sweet fit test solution all over the mask you are testing, and the cover if you are testing a cover. Something to keep in mind if the cover isn't washable. (I wouldn't attempt to wash the N95, though some can still work well even if they get wet, to varying degrees.)
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Fit tests 4 all home fit testing kit (availability is sometimes limited):
fittests4all.bigcartel.com/product/home-fit-test-1
Kit instructions:
fittests4all.com/v2.0/
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I have details about making your own kit if this one is sold out:
www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/comments/1g4e4ps/checking_out_the_only_cheap_home_mask_fit_test_on/
I will do a future video on making your own kit and what you can do to reduce costs.
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#n95 #Respirator #FitTest #PPE #Covid #kanro #opensource
Made possible by a grant by Kanro.
All of my Kanro tagged content has my copyright dedicated to the public domain.
The copyright of content I quote or include by reference remains that of the original copyright owner.
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I have an ongoing database of the fit test results from my videos and social media content here:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KMyYafvKEdUGWLy4n5aAqGxl4kzIbZEjIazu0LosThM/edit?usp=sharing