CDC Misleads US Citizens Regarding Masks as Warehouses Sit Full of PPE 

As the USA approaches half a million COVID-related deaths and new cases surge, the CDC continues to recommend the use of cloth masks, despite scientific research showing their very poor effectiveness in preventing the spread of viruses, such as COVID-19. Epidemiologists around the globe are warning that many homemade masks only filter 3% of particles while medical-grade masks filter 95% or more. In response, many European countries, including Germany and France, have now mandated medical-grade masks to be used in public settings.

When the pandemic initially hit, the US found itself severely under-equipped, lacking the machinery to produce PPE at the necessary rate. Because America sourced PPE primarily from overseas suppliers, there weren't enough masks for doctors, much less for the general public. Consequently the CDC recommended that the general public wear reusable cloth masks to preserve medical-grade masks for healthcare workers. However, since early 2020, the situation has changed as dozens of companies across the USA, such as Carolina Face Mask & PPE in S.C., invested in mask production machinery to stabilize domestic PPE supply.

"We saw our frontline workers and citizens in desperate need of PPE. As veterans, our initial reaction was that we had to step up," says Rick Gehricke, COO of Carolina Face Mask & PPE. "In a matter of weeks, we set up the entire production line, sourcing American-made raw materials to ensure we could sustainably provide high-quality PPE in bulk."

In order to ensure safety, Nelson Laboratories independently tested CFM's facemasks, certifying that their masks exceed ASTM F2100 standards, offering a bacteria and particle filtration rate of greater than 99%. However, despite this certification, the masks can't be labeled as "medical-grade masks" or used in medical facilities-until CFM gains FDA certification, which takes up to a year and an investment of tens of thousands of dollars.

Once realizing that their masks couldn't help frontline workers anytime soon, CFM hoped to go direct to consumers. However, the CDC's website explicitly discourages people from using medical-grade masks, so most people have no idea that their current reusable masks offer minimal protection. CFM invested in several digital platforms to spread the word about their highly effective masks, but with no success.

"Big Tech is blocking domestic mask producers at every turn," Gehricke says. "Google, Facebook, all of them have hidden us from search results and blocked our ads despite following every rule and even providing our certification documents."

Warehouses are sitting full of masks that exceed medical-grade standards, yet millions of Americans unwittingly continue to risk their lives wearing ineffective cloth masks.

"We have millions of life-saving masks at our fingertips, but due to big tech blocking us, FDA over-regulating us, and the CDC refusing to update protocols, our hands are tied," explains Gehricke.

As many European countries have already announced, if we want to stop the spread, research indicates that people need to ditch the cloth masks and use laboratory-tested, high-quality masks. When will the USA get on board?

Carolina Face Mask & PPE currently offers small quantities of 50-1,000 masks online for consumers. CFM can also provide millions by special order (carolinafacemaskandppe.com). To schedule an interview with Carolina Face Mask or to tour the production facility, contact Rick Gehricke at 843-441-1997 or CFM@aticorporation.com.