White House Asks Contractors to Donate N95 Masks to Hospitals

Shortage of protection equipment poses a serious threat to health-care workers responding to the coronavirus epidemic, and N95 masks common in construction can keep them healthy

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In President Trump’s March 17 press briefing with the coronavirus task force, Vice President Pence called on construction companies with a unique opportunity to help protect health-care providers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We would urge construction companies to donate their inventory of N95 masks to your local hospital and forego additional orders of those industrial masks,” Pence said.

“Those industrial masks that they use on construction sites are perfectly acceptable for healthcare workers to be protected from a respiratory disease.”

N95 respirators are designed to protect against particulate matter such as dust, fumes, mists, aerosols, and smoke particulates. They are also effective against biological particles such as pollen, mold spores, bacteria, viruses, animal dander and allergens. An N95 respirator is particularly effective against aerosolized droplets that are invisible to the naked eye.


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