Henderson firm in deal to produce at least 250,000 environmental masks

Monday, April 14, 2003 | 11:20 a.m.

Emergency Filtration Products Inc. of Henderson has entered into a partnership with a Taiwan-based distributor to manufacture and sell at least 250,000 units of its environmental masks to meet a surge in demand in Asia following the outbreak of SARS, a potentially deadly respiratory disease.

The air filtration products maker, which has a four-worker office in Henderson handling billings and orders, and manufacturing plants in Arizona, Massachusetts, Texas and Indiana, said the deal with Taiwan-based Weise Labs Inc. should yield about $1 million in revenue.

These masks, which are expected to be available in Asia by May 31 and in the United States by July, cost between $3 and $4.75.

"The mask is made of a blend of polyester fibers and our proprietary filtration technology. Our filters are designed to eliminate viruses and bacteria that are larger than .027 microns, and most viruses including SARS are larger than that," said Doug Beplate, Emergency Filtration's president. "The filter takes the moisture out of the air. Humidity is what helps the SARS virus to grow."