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Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

theregister.com

11–20 of 65 posts

Re: Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

#11

It is a little unclear from reading the article. Is the claim that their filters were not as effective as N95 masks, or that they were just as effective but did not go through the testing needed to prove it?

Well, if they were never tested, then that question would seem impossible to answer.

Re: Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

#13

It is a little unclear from reading the article. Is the claim that their filters were not as effective as N95 masks, or that they were just as effective but did not go through the testing needed to prove it?

They never had them tested and so could not advertise them as N95-rated. Razer pulled them from the market and any information on whether they were ever retroactively tested has never been released AFAIK.

Re: Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

#14

What I want to know: if they had submitted the mask for testing, would it have passed? I agree there should be a fine given that "N95" refers to masks that have actually passed NIOSH testing, but I think it interesting to know if the mask worked. If the masks worked, there was never a risk to public health.

Reading the article, I was sorely missing this as well. For me, this story erodes confidence in the FTC, not Razer.

Re: Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

#16
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or were the filter elements already submitted for N95 rating and Razer thought that the rating was transitive rather than having to get the entire apparatus certified.

The generous reading is this. And I don’t exactly blame whoever interpreted the regulations like that. However, they really should have gotten a lawyer or consultant specializing in health product regulations.

I absolutely blame them. You don't YOLO health and safety regulations.

Re: Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

#18

I mean it was probably at least as effective against covid as the Etsy masks people were selling that were made from regular fabric and whatever other nonsense. Probably shouldn't have used "N95" though. Doubt they would've even needed to at the time.

Eh, the Zephyr was only released in October 2021, not in the middle of 2020 when fabric masks were in vogue. N95s were much easier to get in mid-2021, not that many people were buying them. In early 2022 they were given away for free in drugstores and even then not many people were taking them.

Re: Razer made to pay $1.2M over 'N95' face mask that wasn't

#20

I mean it was probably at least as effective against covid as the Etsy masks people were selling that were made from regular fabric and whatever other nonsense. Probably shouldn't have used "N95" though. Doubt they would've even needed to at the time.

At the peak of the pandemic, there wasn't much supply so everyone was trying to reserve N95 for healthcare workers. The official advice (US) at the time was use fabric, it's better than nothing and it catches some droplets.
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