U.S. government has 1.5 million expired N95 masks sitting in an Indiana warehouse

[steve2470]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-government-mask-stockpile/2020/03/26/89d729c8-6f5b-11ea-96a0-df4c5d9284af_story.html

March 26, 2020 at 5:25 p.m. EDT

Nearly 1.5 million N95 respirator masks are sitting in a U.S. government warehouse in Indiana and authorities have not shipped them because they are past their expiration date, despite Centers for Disease Control guidelines that have been issued for their safe use during the coronavirus outbreak, according to five people with knowledge of the stockpile.

Department of Homeland Security officials had a conference call Wednesday to figure out what to do with the masks, which are part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s emergency supplies. DHS officials decided to offer the respirators to the Transportation Security Administration, whose workforce has been clamoring for protective equipment, according to three of the people who described the plans on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

CBP has no plans to offer the masks to hard-hit hospitals, or hand them over to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, three of the people said.

The N95 masks, which provide essential protection to medical personnel treating infected patients, are one of the items that have gone lacking in New York City hospitals and across the country in recent days as demand for equipment soars. Manufacturers have said the masks remain effective if stored properly, and the main risk with age is that the masks’ elastic bands can weaken and prevent a proper seal against a user’s face.