Fake Covid-19 protection items intercepted
After 20,000 counterfeit N95 masks arriving from Hong Kong had been seized by officers of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) earlier this month at Boston airport, their Chicago colleagues confiscated a shipment of 500,000 counterfeit N95 masks arriving from Shenzhen, China.
10% of the respirators tested had a filter efficiency rating below 95%. The domestic value was established at USD 3,074,385.00 and MSRP at USD 474,905.00. The domestic value is higher than the MSRP due to the high demand of the masks.
Concerning less common PPE items, Louisville CBP officers discovered a shipment of 10,000 "virus shut out" devices from Hong Kong. These items often contain the hazardous pesticide chlorine dioxide and lead to a false sense of security and in no way protect the bearer from the coronavirus. (ah)