Health authorities in Canada say that since mid-February they’ve recovered nearly 330,000 counterfeit N95 respirator masks from within Canada, while having detained another 365,000 knockoffs at the border with the United States.

Now, Health Canada, the department of Canada’s government responsible for national health policy, is warning the public to be on the lookout for the fakes as they pose a risk to the health of wearers, especially front-line workers, who rely on them for protection against COVID-19 spread.

“Counterfeit health products are imitations of legitimate products,” Health Canada said in an advisory. “They lack any assurance of safety, quality and efficacy. It is illegal to sell or advertise counterfeit health products. The department takes this issue seriously and will use all available tools to stop these activities, including product seizures and stopping products from entering Canada at the border.”

3M, parent company of Top 40 promotional products supplier 3M/Promotional Markets (asi/91240), produces legitimate N95 respirator masks, which have been in high demand during the coronavirus pandemic as they’re effective in protecting against virus transmission.

Health Canada said it’s working closely with 3M Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to address the issue of counterfeit 3M N95 respirators. 3M has established a hotline and published information on its website to help Canadian customers identify, prevent and report suspected fraud.

News of the influx of fakes is relevant for suppliers and distributors in the promotional products market that are selling personal protective equipment that includes N95s. There are ways to identify potential fakes. Telltale signs include respirators with quality issues like missing straps, strange odors, blocked valves or misspelled words. Also, Health Canada noted that sourcing companies/individuals should only purchase 3M respiratory protection products from 3M-authorized dealers.

“3M respirators should be procured only in 3M packaging, with model-specific user instructions accompanying the product,” Health Canada noted. “3M respirators are not meant to be sold individually or without packaging (including user instructions).”

Warnings over the knockoffs come as areas of Canada, including Ontario, face what some experts have described as a “third wave” of COVID-19 infections.