NIOSH Certifies California’s N95 Masks, Shipments Begin

On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office announced that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified California-based BYD North America’s production of N95 respirators for the state. Recall, the Newsom Administration in April entered into a $990 million contract with BYD North America to supply N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

After several delays, BYD North America secured NIOSH certification allowing the company to begin shipping 150 million N95 masks to the state for distribution to health care providers. According to the Newsom Administration, the first shipment of masks were anticipated to arrive this week. The full announcement from the Administration is available here.