The Food and Drug Administration has assured that the medical face mask brands registered with it make standard products.
FDA deputy secretary-general Dr. Surachoke Tangwiwat said medical masks or surgical masks and medical N95 masks were defined as medical instruments and their manufacturers and importers must receive permission from the FDA. Besides, they must present certificates to prove the efficacy of their products as required by the FDA.
Also, the FDA was checking the quality of products available in markets. It collected samples of surgical and medical N95 masks and took legal action against the manufacturers that made substandard products, he said.
Face masks, N95 masks and fabric masks for general purposes such as anti-dust and anti-odor purposes were not medical instruments and the FDA did not control their quality, Dr. Surachoke said.
However, such masks for general purposes could screen out droplets and thus help prevent COVID-19 infection, he said. (TNA)
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