https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N95_respirator#Global_shortages_during_the_COVID-19_pandemic
Global shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic[edit]
On January 24, 2020, Taiwan announced that it was imposing a temporary ban on the export of masks.[59] The respirators came to be in short supply and high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing price gouging and hoarding, often leading to confiscation of masks.[60][61][62][63] Production of N95 respirators was limited due to constraints on the supply of nonwoven polypropylene fabric (which is used as the primary filter) as well as the cessation of exports from China.[9][64]
In Canada, the Quebec company (AMD Medicom) began making masks in 1997 through an agreement with United Medical Enterprises in Atlanta, Georgia. Medicom added factories in Shanghai in 2002, Yilan Taiwan in 2010 and France in 2011.[65] As the pandemic escalated, China, France and Taiwan either prohibited the export of masks, or requisitioned Medicom's output for local use.[66] The federal government of Canada came to an agreement with Medicom to buy millions of masks over the next ten years, leading to Medicom announcing plans to open a new factory; in Montreal. Novo Textiles in British Columbia quickly acquired a surgical mask making machine, and announced plans to acquire an N95 making machine as well.[67]
In March 2020, President Donald Trump applied the Defense Production Act (DPA) against the American company 3M that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to obtain as many N95 respirators as it needs from 3M.[68][69]
Also in early April 2020, the United States federal government, invoking the DPA, ordered 3M to stop exporting N95 respirators to customers in Canada and Latin America, and to keep them within the U.S. instead. However, 3M refused, citing humanitarian implications, and the possibility of backfire: "Ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done. If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease. That is the opposite of what we and the administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek."[70]
Selected patents[edit]
- US patent 3333585, Robert J Barghini, Walter M Westberg, Patrick H Carey Jr, "Cold weather face mask", published 1967-08-01, issued 1967-08-01, assigned to 3M Co
- US patent 3971373A, David L. Braun, "Particle-loaded microfiber sheet product and respirators made therefrom", published 1976-07-27, issued 1976-07-27, assigned to 3M Co
- US patent 4215682A, Donald A. Kubik & Charles I. Davis, "Melt-blown fibrous electrets", published 1980-08-05, issued 1980-08-05, assigned to 3M Co
- US patent 4536440A, Harvey J. Berg, "Molded fibrous filtration products", published 1985-08-20, issued 1985-08-20, assigned to 3M Co
- US patent 4807619, James F. Dyrud, Harvey J. Berg, Alice C. Murray, "Resilient shape-retaining fibrous filtration face mask", published 1989-02-28, issued 1989-02-28, assigned to 3M Co
- US patent 4850347, Martin R. Skov, "Face mask", published 1989-07-25, issued 1989-07-25, assigned to Moldex Metric Inc
- US patent 4856509, Jerome H. Lemelson, "Face mask and method", published 1989-08-15, issued 1989-08-15
- US patent 5307796A, Joseph P. Kronzer, Roger J. Stumo, James F. Dyrud, Harvey J. Berg, "Methods of forming fibrous filtration face masks", published 1994-05-03, issued 1994-05-03, assigned to 3M Co
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