Doctors told to wear face shields with SA-made Detmold medical masks
An Adelaide fast-food packaging manufacturer turned to making face masks when COVID hit – but now there are fears the masks don’t fully protect medical staff.
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Frontline health staff are being ordered to not wear celebrated Adelaide-made masks – unless they also wear plastic face shields – after concerns were raised they were not fluid-resistant.
South Australia’s deputy chief public health officer Mike Cusack told the Sunday Mail the masks, made by local company Detmold, were undergoing further tests.
The union representing doctors fears face shields are in short supply, cumbersome and difficult to use.
However, the company making the masks, Detmold, has downplayed concerns.
Detmold was rolled out by the State Government in March at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic as an example of manufacturing ingenuity.
The family business that makes packaging for fast-food giants vowed to pump out a staggering 145 million surgical masks for use by medics on the frontline fighting coronavirus.
The Sunday Mail asked questions about the masks after being told by health insiders there were concerns that medical-grade N95 masks had not been tested for fluid resistance – a requirement deemed necessary for medical use.
Last month, Health Minister Stephen Wade said the masks “offer lifesaving protection for our nurses and doctors who are on the front line of our fight against COVID-19”.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton called for full transparency about the testing, reliability and what were the remaining concerns over these masks.
“The fact that more testing and interim measures have now been ordered is concerning for frontline health staff,” Mr Picton said.
Dr Cusack said health staff began using the Detmold D95 masks after rigorous testing and certification in line with international standards, which included certification for fluid resistance.
“We remain confident in the performance of the Detmold masks … however, as an interim measure and while further testing is conducted, staff have been advised to also use a face shield in addition to any N95 mask in situations where high-pressure fluid strikes could possibly occur,” he said.
On Friday, SA Health had 60,350 Detmold masks in stock and Dr Cusack said they would not be recalled.
SA Salaried Medical Officers Association president David Pope said requiring face shields was a concern because it meant the masks did not meet fluid resistance requirements needed for medical use.
“We find face shields can be in short supply, are more cumbersome and add to the difficulties in putting in and taking off protective equipment,” he said.
Dr Pope said there were high hopes for the Detmold masks, which “are softer and likely more comfortable to wear in comparison to the rigid masks” as those used in construction that doctors had had to use.
A Detmold spokesman said all of its masks had met Australian standards. He said the company did not make any claims regarding the suitability of the masks for protection against the risk of fluid strikes.
“The use of face shields or other measures to provide fluid resistance is a matter for the relevant health authorities and medical practitioners,” he said.
