Understand how "you get individual protection" for the first time in the nonmedical COVID-19 market. With the current earloop mask, the wearer is not protected.
Close to 90% of internet and retail civil face masks are counterfeit and offer very poor and very little individual protection. How can we educate ourselves to understand the need for proper "individual protection" and how to identify a counterfeit mask?
Look for the manufacturer's name and certifications on the masks. If there is no brand name or certification, it's counterfeit
--KN95 only on a mask - its fake
Look for the manufacturer's address and name on the box. If it's missing then it's counterfeit
If there are no test results or certifications readily available for public display - it's counterfeit...especially if the mask is sold in a zip lock bag
Look for an FDA logo - if you find one it's counterfeit
Some of these brands have made unverified claims of the levels of protection their masks offer
The question that comes to mind is, which face mask should I buy?
April 2020, there were over 3,500 new mask manufacturers selling to the US market alone. May 2020, new Chinese quality standards for medical export masks reduced the number of companies from 3,500 to only 4. The quality of medical masks was so irregular that only those 4 remaining companies were allowed to export from China, causing a major worldwide shortage. Many of these masks were produced on dirty floors in small huts, and one of these counterfeit ‘manufacturers’ was actually selling their product to the US Veterans Administration. Veterans United National Consortium, LLC, was one of the few businesses allowed to export to the USA with 2 of the 4 factories selected.
Our goal at VUNC is to be able to respond to the needs of any country for personal mask protection in less than 72 hours.
Our motto is transparency, quality, testing and anticounterfeiting.
March 2020, a group of professional veterans with medical product experience and the understanding of how compromised our situation was without PPE being manufactured in America at a level to provide the safety and security we need in a pandemic and war, were motivated into action. VUNC responded with an international acquisition and logistic support system with US national coverage within 500 miles and PODS for local storage with GPS tracking. We created the ability to provide major airlifts to resolve the mask and glove shortage, we also created the ability to ship small orders globally up to 1,000kg's per day with DHL internationally.
VUNC has become a market disrupter with personal civil protection for everyone, mainly for the general public...this is a game-changer. Want COVID-19 over? Protect yourself from allergies? Are you high risk or working in a close environment like schools, malls, restaurants, movie theaters and want to be as safe a possible with a mask covering?
VUNC has combined the EN149 & EN14683 European standard for civil and medical standards plus the medical US ASTM 2100-19 (the test needed for NIOSH - N95, N99, N100) into one of the best personal levels of protection on the civil market. NIOSH is the most commonly known rating system and used in the USA. We took what is great about the European Standards and their availability of these masks coupled with the concept of protecting the wearer instead of the wearer protecting others. Most homemade masks and others without certifications or counterfeit only mitigate the spread to others and do not protect you.
Thank the Europeans for the opportunity of better protection. We have adopted their concept, and now the "wearer" can be protected, and others around the wearer with N99 level protection equivalent are now available for public use globally. Few are aware of the new International Mask Standard 3502 in which this test requires a seal to be tested to protect the user of the mask. Don’t be fooled by people claiming to have this standard already. We submitted our mask the first day the test was available, and there is a minimum of six weeks for results.
In Europe, on public transportation and large gatherings, the N95 equivalent FFP2 is mandated. What is the major difference between the respirator’s medical standards in Europe and the US? I would say it’s the headbands to properly seal the mask. The European mask mainly has ear loops, but in order to pass the US respirator Pre-NIOSH test, the half-mask respirators must have headbands to seal. The test cannot pass without a headband for the seal. Understand the level of protection so we as a community can resume to our normal lives as soon as humanly possible.
In the US we can raise the bar to 99% "individual protection" for the person wearing the mask and others around them. The current protection is not good enough for a quick exit from this pandemic. People wearing bandanas, stylish cloth masks, homemade masks and untested counterfeit from the store and internet will still be susceptible to COVID-19 next year. Let’s stop this virus now by wearing a mask with headbands and high quality filtration!
Best Current Civil COVID-19 Personal Protection Solution
Our Veteran brand is the European style headband FFP2 and FFP3 respirators certified to the European CE standards including medical and currently mandated for wear in Germany and Australia. Our brand is additionally tested for ASTM 2100-19 needed for NIOSH. Unlike other masks that claim a 95% filtration level, the Veterans Brand guarantees over 96-99.9% efficacy and will show test results. Another interesting fact about the company is that it has both an online and offline permanent US address on the box, unlike other companies that make use of Amazon and other stores as a cover.
Wear our first civil personal protective mask up to 99.999% and if your mask has any issues or for some reason it does not meet our testing standards, we will replace them. You have my personal guarantee.
