# 3937
Given the years of governmental warnings of the risk of a pandemic, and specific N95 stockpiling guidance offered by OSHA in 2008, many are asking how it is that so many hospitals find themselves facing a shortage of N95 respirators at the start of this pandemic.
More than 18 months ago, OSHA published a recommended stockpiling guideline for Health Care facilities, where they estimated that every nurse with direct patient contact would need roughly 480 N95 respirators for a 12 week pandemic wave.
See OSHA's Proposed Guidance On Respirators And Facemasks
Note: The link to the original (5/08) guidance document from OSHA no longer appears to be valid. I’ve not been able to find a new link to it.
These estimates were based on the assumption that we would be facing a more serious H5N1 pandemic (which could still happen). It is only by a massive stroke of luck that we are dealing with a less severe H1N1 pandemic today.
Last week the ANA (American Nurses Association) sent a letter to the CDC protesting the shortages of N95 masks, calling it `unacceptable’.
ANA Calls Shortage of N-95 Respirators to Protect Against H1N1 Unacceptable
11/02/09
American Nurses Association (ANA) conveyed to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that reported shortages of respirator masks needed to protect registered nurses from the risk of contracting the H1N1 influenza are unacceptable, and warned the quality of patient care could needlessly decline during the H1N1 pandemic without adequate protection measures.In a letter to the CDC, ANA expressed deep concern about shortages of the fitted N-95 respirators, the equipment CDC recommends as the minimum level of respiratory protection for health care workers who could be exposed to the H1N1 virus. Several state nurses associations have told ANA that nurses are indicating difficulties in obtaining the N-95 respirators on the job, and hospitals in their states are reporting shortages of the N-95 respirator.
ANA Press Release and Letter
