Coronavirus: Sub-standard masks flock city’s markets

With the rising demand, sub-standard masks made by local manufacturers and tailors in places such as Dharavi, Sion, Bandra and Thane are flooding the market.

With the rising demand, sub-standard masks made by local manufacturers and tailors in places such as Dharavi, Sion, Bandra and Thane are flooding the market.

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Surgical face masks are made with non-woven fabric, which has better bacteria filtration and air permeability, while remaining less slippery than woven cloth. The material most commonly used to make them is polypropylene, either 20 or 25 grams per square metre (gsm) in density. “The masks recommended for the coronavirus are disposable surgical masks, which are made of three layers of filter and are effective in filtering out particles such as bacteria above 1 micron. But these locally made masks are of no use in controlling the transmission of the virus,” said Abhay Pandey, president of All Food and Drug License Holders Foundation. “Due to lack of knowledge, people are even buying the fake masks.”

The sub-standard masks are being sold openly at road-side stalls and railway stations for ₹30 per piece and ₹50 for two. At Andheri, a local trader said that every day, he sells over 100 fake surgical masks due to the rising demand. “These surgical masks are disposable daily, so people have to buy one very day which increases its demand,” said the local trader. When asked from where he got the masks, he said, “I got a stock of 1,000 masks from a local trader in Bandra.”

“The microscopic pollutants get stuck into the material, so when anyone uses it, they inhale the impurity inside. If a person with heart ailments or asthma inhales it, he can develop a respiratory tract infection which can make him more susceptible to Covid-19,” said Dr Sundeep Salvi, director of Chest Research Foundation.

Last week, FDA, in a circular, had made it mandatory to procure doctors’ certificates to buy masks. This was done taking into consideration, the black marketing of masks across the state.

When HT inquired about it to FDA, a senior officer said they don’t have enough manpower to raid all medical stores. “We are facing acute shortage of inspection officers. Currently, we are running on a strength of 60%. Along with masks, we also have to check on fake sanitisers and medicines in the market,” said the officer.