American University has said that the KN95 masks distributed to its D.C. campus community did not meet the standards the distributor promised them.
Similar mask issues have popped up across the region during the pandemic as fake or inauthentic masks flood the market.
On Saturday, the private university in Northwest D.C. confirmed reporting from student newspaper The Eagle that it has discovered that the first batch fell below “certain standards.”
“We took immediate action to inspect the masks, confirm with the vendor that the masks did not meet the standards we were promised, and to source new masks that do,” the university said in a statement.
The school said it took immediate action to inspect the masks they received and confirmed their issues with the distributor. They plan to source new masks that do meet the requirements of KN95s.
The school says that the new masks will be available to the campus community starting on Monday, Feb. 7, and add that the masks distributed this week still offer some protection.
“While the initial masks may not meet some of those standards, they do provide protection because of their snug fit around the nose and mouth, and they are superior to cloth masks,” the school said.
WTOP’s Juan Herrera contributed to this report.
