Customs Arrest Two Over 'contaminated' Face Masks

Customs officials have arrested two people for allegedly producing and selling a batch of contaminated face masks.

The department said it found bacteria exceeding the permitted limit by 12.5 times on more than 1,500 pieces of multi-coloured masks produced by a company named Family Mask.

More than 300 bags of masks were seized on Wednesday from 12 retail shops in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Mong Kok, Lok Fu and Tsing Yi.

A 56-year-old director of the manufacturer and a 47-year-old female manager of a cosmetics chain were arrested on suspicion of contravening the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance.

Family Mask, meanwhile, apologised and said it has stopped selling the affected batch, adding that the contamination might have occured during the packaging process.

Customs officers say since March last year they have carried out more than 40,000 inspections across the territory, finding another 12 types of masks with excessive bacterial counts.