No chemical found in masks

The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) on Monday said no concentrations harmful to health were found after it conducted tests on facial masks.

Tukes studied in spring 2021 the chemicals in civil masks, i.e. cloth masks and disposable fibre masks, sold to consumers, said a press release.

No harmful concentrations of hazardous substances were found from the civil masks tested.

Tukes tested a total of 21 different civil masks in spring 2021. The masks chosen for the test were sold in shops or online, or they were otherwise available to consumers. The masks were both from foreign and domestic manufacturers. Tukes decided to test the chemicals in masks because there had been a number of reports from consumers of the civil masks.

“Tukes does not inspect the products in advance, but we test and monitor products available to customers based on their risks by means of spot checks. Consumers had contacted Tukes about unpleasant or strong odours in civil masks, and we wanted to examine the chemicals in them in more detail”, said Elina Vaahtovuo, senior officer at Tukes.

Tukes monitors civil masks and personal protective equipment intended for consumer use on the Finnish market. Manufacturers, importers and sellers are responsibility for product safety, and they should also take into account any chemicals in the masks.