NIOSH finds hundreds of fraudulent respirator cartridges for sale online

January 15, 2026

Washington — Nearly 95% of respirator components purchased from two online marketplaces have proved to be fraudulent, according to the results of a recent case study conducted by NIOSH.

Working with the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH researchers purchased 372 respirator components (240 P100 filters, 124 combination cartridges and eight chemical cartridges) and performance tested them.

Every combination cartridge and chemical cartridge was found to be fraudulent, while 220 of the 240 P100 filters were determined to be fake.

The researchers prioritized purchasing filters and cartridges displaying “NIOSH” or “P100” markings that weren’t manufactured by NIOSH approval holders and products. The online photos had evidence of concealing, blurring or deleting part of the certification mark. One example was a product with a “100” marking rather than “P100.”

For each fraudulent product purchased, the researchers also bought genuine NIOSH-approved components to serve as controls for testing and evaluation.

Two genuine elastomeric half-mask respirators of each part number – 6100(S), 6200(M) and 6300(L) – were purchased, as they’re the facepieces for respirator configuration and were referenced in the online marketplace listings. They were used to perform resistance testing and generate test figures for all P100 and gas/vapor testing.

All 100 fraudulent combination cartridges tested failed because they exhibited values above the maximum limit. All four pairs of fake chemical cartridges failed for exhibiting values below the NIOSH minimum service life requirement. Each of the fraudulent cartridges had chemical breakthroughs in less than five minutes.

All six pairs of P100 filters tested for fraudulent products F-1-1 and F-1-2 and one pair for fraudulent F-2-1 product failed.

To avoid purchasing fraudulent products, end users should:

• Check NIOSH’s Certified Equipment List to verify NIOSH approval of respirator components.

• Review the agency’s Counterfeit/Misrepresented Respirators webpage or its Informing Workers of Counterfeit and Misrepresented Respirators fact sheet.

• Sign up for the NPPTL’s Listserv to receive email updates on the latest research on personal protective equipment.

Suspected fraudulent respirators can be reported to NIOSH via email at ppeconcerns@cdc.gov. Correspondence should include the company name on the respirator, the model or part number, photos of the respirator and packaging, the NIOSH approval number (if present, such as SC-84A-XXXX or TC-21C-XXXX), and the web URL where the item was purchased or found.