Berlin.
The federal and state governments bought billions of masks during Corona. But with the extensive omission of the obligation, a large part expires.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic in 2020, the Federal Ministry of Health and the individual state ministries have ordered billions of masks. But the importance of medical mouth and nose coverings is declining: nationwide, the mask requirement ended in the near and far and on March 1st in health and care facilities. A mask will only have to be worn in medical practices, clinics and nursing homes in the future. Now the Federal Ministry of Health and individual state ministries are sitting on their stocks. Numbers available to this editorial team show that a large number have already expired.
Also read: Corona: Masks are compulsory on March 1st – just not here
According to its own statements, the Federal Ministry of Health has purchased 5.9 billion corona masks since the pandemic began. This includes both simple surgical masks and FFP2 masks. 485 million of them, i.e. 8.22 percent, have now expired. According to the ministry, less than a million of these have been “recycled for energy” – i.e. burned.
The stock of masks varies depending on the federal state
At least 896 million masks have also been procured by the countries since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a survey by this editorial team. Because there is no differentiated data from Berlin, Brandenburg and Thuringia, the actual number is likely to be even higher.
According to their own statements, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria, Hesse and Brandenburg were all able to use the masks procured by the state ministries before the expiration date by distributing their stocks to hospitals, schools or kindergartens, for example. So far, the remaining ministries have had around 47.6 million expired masks in stock that they have purchased themselves, some of which have already been disposed of. Here, too, differentiated information from Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin is missing. There are also expired masks that are stored at the state ministries but were procured by the federal government. Whether the masks are kept despite the expiry date is handled differently by the countries.
Corona masks: an expert explains why they expire
Experts warn against using masks after their expiration date. “I am very critical of further use after the expiry date,” says Tobias Bleyer from the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health this editorial office. “After that, it is no longer proper personal protective equipment that may be used or made available.”
The engineer for safety technology refers to the individual components of the mask, such as plastic components, non-woven fabrics and rubber bands, which are subject to a natural aging process. “The longer an elastic band, for example in sports trousers, is, the looser it becomes and eventually wears off completely,” explains Bleyer. As a result, the mask can no longer be sufficiently pressed against the face. Filter tiles also lose their effectiveness with age.
According to Bleyer, manufacturers are responsible for deciding how long a mask will last. “It’s about a supposedly relatively simple product, but there’s a lot of know-how behind it and the claim and the legal requirement that it protects people from the first to the last day.”
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