FRC Safety During COVID-19: Are AR/FR Masks Safe to Breathe Through?

Recently at Tyndale, we’ve adjusted our manufacturing efforts in response to the high demand for protective flame resistant (FR) surgical-style face masks. Tyndale understands the urgency for FR masks during these trying times. By adjusting shifts to six and seven days a week, adding new manufacturing facilities, and seeking additional FR mask resources, we have fully leveraged our manufacturing facilities, our two distribution facilities and our strategic partner relationships with leading flame resistant clothing (FRC) brands to ensure workers are receiving the safety supplies necessary, in a timely manner.

In response to many questions Tyndale has received about the newly made masks and how we know they are safe to breathe through, this blog post covers why the AR / FR masks are safe and how we know.

Scott Margolin, Tyndale’s VP of Technical continues to cover FRC safety related to COVID-19.

The facts:

Flame resistant fabric and fiber manufacturers never anticipated the need to test fabrics for use as a face mask. Now, with mask use mandates in many states, there is neither the time nor the laboratory availability to perform testing on the newly manufactured masks.

Tyndale masks have a fitness for use letter from our fiber manufacturer and are safe to use as a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tyndale has leveraged our strategic partner relationships to help meet end-user needs in the quickest timeframe possible. Initially, in a fully transparent and fair allocation method, we’ve prioritized FR mask delivery to the hardest hit areas of the country, next we’ve allocated one-mask-per-employee, and finally we’re fulfilling orders on the remaining overall demand. While we cannot ensure the fabrics and fibers used by all mask manufacturers are safe, we can ensure that that the FR fabric used by manufacturing partners we work with are safe. Although the fiber and fabric suppliers for some of the masks distributed by Tyndale have not issued fitness for use letters for the masks manufactured, Tyndale is confident in the respiratory safety these masks provide. This confidence is based on years of use of the same fibers and fabrics found in balaclavas, which are of course worn over the mouth and breathed through on a regular basis. 

What is a fitness for use letter?

A fitness for use letter is defined as, “The degree to which products conform to essential requirements and meet the needs of users for which they are intended.”

So, what does that mean for Tyndale? Tyndale has done our due diligence to ensure the masks we produce are safe. With that said, we’ve sourced AR / FR fabric that is both effective as a mask, and safe to breathe through for 8+ hours every day.

For further information on Tyndale’s fitness for use letter please contact Marketing@TyndaleUSA.com or to follow along with our other FRC Safety and COVID-19 resources to stay safe while you work during the pandemic visit: https://tyndaleusa.com/frc-safety-during-covid-19/. And, to learn more about how to order FR masks from Tyndale contact your Tyndale National Account Executive.