by Natalie Edwards

With disposable masks in hot demand, suppliers are having to import masks fast. This means a lot of the masks available are marked as having KN95 (China) or N95 (US) standard. Let’s have a look at how these standards stack up against NZ respiratory standards…

 

Cutting straight to the point, the American standard N95, and Chinese standard KN95 are equivalent to New Zealand P2. However there are some slight differences:

Standard  New Zealand/Australia
P2 (AS/NZ 1716:2012) 
USA
N95 (NIOSH-42C FR84)
China
KN95 (GB2626-2006)
Filter Performance ≥ 94% ≥ 95% ≥ 95%
Test Agent NaCI NaCI NaCIFlow Rate
Flow Rate 95 L/min 85 L/min 85 L/min
Total Inward Leakage
(Fit Test) 
≤ 8% N/A ≤ 8%
Inhalation Resistance
(Max Pressure Drop)
≤ 70 Pa (at 30 L/min)
≤ 240 Pa (at 95 L/min)
≤ 343 Pa ≤ 350 Pa
Flow Rate Varied Varied Varied
Exhalation Resistance
(Max Pressure Drop)
≤ 120 Pa ≤ 245 Pa ≤ 250 Pa
Flow Rate 85 L/min 85 L/min 85 L/min
Exhalation Valve Leakage Requirement Leak rate ≤ 30 mL/min Leak rate ≤ 30 mL/min Depressurisation to 0 Pa ≥ 20 sec
Force Applied -250 Pa -245 Pa -1180 Pa
CO² Clearance Requirement ≤ 1% N/A ≤ 1%

What's the same?

 For most disposable mask wearers, the most important thing is performance. In these cases all 3 masks have been tested to and proven to filter out 94% of tiny particles.

What's Different?

The key differences between the 3 standards comes in terms of how and what is tested to receive their certification. Here’s an overview of the differences:

  • P2 (NZ) and KN95 (China) both require fit testing on real people to pass a leakage test of ≤8% - N95 (USA) does not require this test.
  • NZ standards require a stronger inhalation and exhalation resistance, which is measured by a pressure drop. This means they are required to have stronger breathability than either USA or China's minimum standards.

So is it safe to wear disposable masks with KN95 or N95 ratings?

Yes -  KN95, N95 and P2 rated masks are all certified to filter up to at least 94% of tiny particles, which is one of the most important features.  However the American and Chinese standards for breathability are less strict than New Zealand and Australia’s, so it's possible masks rated KN95 or N95 may not be as easy to breathe in.