The Ministry of Health issued a notice on Tuesday confirming at least one type of FFP2 mask distributed to dentists did not conform to regulations and should be withdrawn from use. RTL was able to view the missive sent to dentists in the Grand Duchy.
For day-to-day safety, single-use paper masks are sufficient. For those in professions which require face-to-face contact with clients, FFP2 masks are recommended as these are capable of filtering 94% of particles, and offer protection to vulnerable people.
The model withdrawn from the market did not pass filtration tests. This is not the first time masks have been withdrawn in Luxembourg.
Alain de Bourcy, President of Luxembourg's syndicate of pharmacists, explained the masks were not necessarily a risk for the wearer, but did not conform to regulations and could therefore not be reliably used. He said vulnerable people relied on PPE meeting regulations and did not deserve to be deceived.
The masks are Chinese-made, and industry norms in China are often subjected to fewer quality assurance checks. Luxembourg's Institute for Standardisation, Accreditation, Safety and Quality of Products and Services (Ilnas) therefore carries out additional testing to ensure products imported from outside Europe meet EU standards. Unfortunately, these tests are frequently only feasible once the items have arrived in the country, which can cause issues. De Bourcy deplored the fact that such a delay had occurred in testing the FFP2 masks.
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There are currently no official lists to identify conforming products ahead of purchase. Pharmacies are therefore reliant on their suppliers to carry out the necessary testing. In theory, masks sold at stores or pharmacies should conform to regulations. However, de Bourcy emphasised the need to pay attention to potential recalls, just in case.
