AMMA Pushes for U.S.-Made N95 Stockpiles as Wildfire Smoke Spreads

The American Medical Manufacturers Association is urging federal, state, and local officials to stockpile domestically made, NIOSH-approved N95 respirators for wildfire smoke emergencies. The call comes as smoke from more than 800 Canadian fires triggers air quality alerts in more than 20 states for a fourth straight summer.

Why it matters: - Wildfire smoke is now a recurring public health problem across the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast. - AMMA says emergency mask supplies should be built around NIOSH-approved, U.S.-made N95 respirators, not imported KN95s. - The group argues that public stockpiles should match the federal safety standard used for respiratory protection in the U.S.

What happened: - AMMA called on Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, and state governments to fund regional PPE stockpiles for wildfire smoke emergencies. - The request came as smoke from more than 800 active Canadian wildfires blanketed the Midwest and Northeast for a fourth consecutive summer. - Air quality alerts were issued across more than 20 U.S. states, from Minnesota to Virginia. - Detroit, Minneapolis, and Chicago reported some of the worst air quality among cities worldwide. - Ohio EPA issued a statewide air quality advisory. - Northeast Ohio's regional air quality agency issued a "Code Maroon," its highest alert level. - Governors and mayors from the Great Lakes to the eastern seaboard urged residents to mask up and stay indoors.

The details: - New York City is distributing free KN95 masks at hundreds of libraries, NYPD precincts, and firehouses. - Wayne County, Michigan is handing out 70,000 stockpiled KN95 masks to seniors. - Flint, Michigan, and Seneca County, New York, are distributing NIOSH-approved N95 respirators instead of KN95s. - Michigan state health guidance explicitly recommends NIOSH-marked N95 or P100 respirators. - AMMA says NIOSH-approved N95 respirators are tested against federal standards, subject to random audits, and manufactured under enforceable quality controls. - AMMA says KN95 masks follow a Chinese regulatory standard that relies on self-certification rather than independent NIOSH testing. - AMMA says KN95 masks are never made in the United States. - On June 2, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative determined that China is among the economies that have failed to effectively enforce a prohibition on goods produced with forced labor. - USTR placed China in the proposed 12.5% Section 301 tariff tier, the highest of the two tiers applied in that investigation. - Research shows that each 10 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 is associated with an approximately 11% rise in asthma-related emergency room visits. - A 2025 Stanford-led study estimated that wildfire smoke exposure is linked to about 41,000 premature deaths per year in the United States. - AMMA member companies can produce about 435 million NIOSH-approved N95 respirators per year under normal conditions. - AMMA says that output equals about 97% of routine U.S. annual demand. - AMMA says manufacturers can surge to as many as 1.5 billion respirators per year during a declared emergency.

Between the lines: - AMMA is tying wildfire preparedness to domestic manufacturing policy and supply-chain security. - The group is also arguing that public health spending should avoid products linked to supply chains the federal government has flagged for forced labor concerns. - The policy push reflects a broader effort to lock in U.S.-made PPE as the default for emergency distribution. - Eric Axel, AMMA's executive director, said wildfire smoke has now crossed the border every summer for four straight years and that the question is whether the U.S. is ready with the right masks. - Tom Allen, AMMA president and CEO of Altor Safety of New York, said families deserve respirators that have undergone rigorous independent testing. - Donny Chan, AMMA vice president and executive at Maxter Healthcare, said domestic manufacturers already have the capacity and that what is missing is the commitment to use it.

What's next: - AMMA wants Congress, HHS, and state governments to fund regional stockpiles in states regularly affected by wildfire smoke. - AMMA is also urging a federal procurement standard that requires NIOSH-approved, American-made N95 respirators for emergency distribution. - The group wants full implementation of the bipartisan Make PPE in America Act and extension of its Buy American principles to state and local purchasing. - AMMA also wants HHS and ASPR to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile with domestically produced N95s and reusable respirators so caches can be drawn down and rebuilt without new legislation each time.

The bottom line: - AMMA is making a simple case: if wildfire smoke emergencies are now annual, the respirators distributed during them should be U.S.-made, NIOSH-approved, and already stockpiled.