Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Notification of Protective Masks to the RAPEX System

Abstract

: The aim of the study is to assess the notification of protective masks to the RAPEX system. The coercion to wear protective masks at the beginning of the CoViD-19 pandemic led to significant, unexpected demand for these products. The sudden increase in demand caused an initial lack of availability of the masks for consumers but their supply to the market subsequently increased. At the same time, market surveillance authorities detected a significant number of cases of non-compliance as a result of numerous checks. The impact of the CoViD-19 pandemic on the number and types of notifications for protective masks to the EU’s system for the rapid exchange of information on dangerous non-food products (RAPEX) was examined. Based on the results, the conclusion is that the CoViD-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the number of notifications regarding protective masks. The assumption regarding the country of origin of the notified masks was also confirmed, as the highest number of notifications concerning protective masks originating in China were notified to RAPEX in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Germany and Belgium were the countries giving notifications for these products.