Imports of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the United States totaled $ 1.85 billion in 2019, according to data from the International Trade Commission (USITC).

PPE covers equipment, parts, or devices that prevent a person from having direct contact with the hazards of hazardous environments, which can lead to injury and illness.

Although the general public relates Personal Protective Equipment to working life, the reality is that everyone, at some time, has used one, for example, gloves when we lift a hot container.

There are different types of PPE for different risks; however, they generally serve to protect the head, ears, face, eyes, respiratory system, upper limbs and lower limbs.

Personal protective equipment

PPE became relevant as the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the world, causing shortages of these products in many cities for certain periods.

In early February 2020, the Chinese government nationalized control of the production and distribution of medical supplies in China. Concerned about the shortage and its ability to contain Covid-19, the Chinese government transferred authority over the production and distribution of medical supplies from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to the NDRC, the powerful central economic planning ministry of China.

According to an analysis by the US Congress, CNDR handled medical manufacturing and logistics down to the factory level and has been directing the production and distribution of all medicine-related production, including the production lines of US companies. in China, for domestic use.

In response to government directives, foreign companies with significant production capacity in China, including 3M, Foxconn and General Motors, changed significant elements of their operations to the manufacture of Medical Personal Protective Equipment.

By the end of February 2020, China had increased production of masks, both basic surgical masks and N95 masks, from a baseline of 20 million per day to over 100 million per day.