3M, Kimberly-Clark Among Few to Make Swine Flu Masks

(Bloomberg) -- 3M Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. are among the few manufacturers that make respiratory masks sophisticated enough to ward off swine flu, exacerbating a shortage at retailers.

Only masks rated N95 or above, which can filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles, are effective at blocking the H1N1 virus, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. N95 respirators require sophisticated manufacturing techniques because they contain a filter often made of carbon, health officials said.

“If you are going to wear a mask, the N95 is the one, but it has to be fitted properly and is difficult to breathe from,” said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association in Washington, in a telephone interview. Regular face masks are loose-fitting and block only large particles, he said in an April 29 interview.

Swine flu has been found in 11 countries and has killed at least 10 people as of May 1, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 109 cases in 11 states. No mask or respirator can completely halt the contagion, the Atlanta-based CDC said on its Web site.

Other manufacturers include Markham, Ontario-based Alpha Pro Tech Ltd. and Mine Safety Appliances Co. in Pittsburgh, which delivered truckloads of respirators to workers cleaning up after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Not Enough Capacity

Cantel Medical Corp.’s Crosstex unit received requests for about 1 million N95 masks this week, about twice what it had available, Andrew Whitehead, a company spokesman, said April 30.

“There just isn’t enough capacity in the industry to supply everyone in the country with an N95,” he said. Little Falls, New Jersey-based Cantel had 2008 sales of $249.4 million.

With few manufacturers and high demand, retailers are running out fast. CVS Caremark Corp. and Walgreen Co., the two largest U.S. drugstore chains, are sold out on their Web sites and at some stores. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Home Depot Inc. are out of stock at many locations, and only a few types of the mask are still available through Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest online retailer.

“Whether we will be able to replenish the supply hasn’t yet been determined,” said Tiffani Washington, a Walgreen spokeswoman, said in an April 30 interview. CVS is working with suppliers to meet increased demand for masks, Michael DeAngelis, a company spokesman, said in an April 30 e-mail.

3M rose 28 cents to $57.88 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have risen less than 1 percent this year. Kimberly-Clark added 61 cents to $49.75 and has declined 5.7 percent this year.

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