NASHVILLE - Health officials in Hamilton, Davidson and Shelby counties say they already have or plan to resume distribution of free cloth masks to the public after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency weighed in that the masks are safe.
But Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke told reporters during a Friday conference call that the city, which received 20,000 of the Renfro Corp.-made masks treated with the anti-microbial chemical Silvadur 930 Flex, has no current plans to distribute them.
"Public trust is of the utmost importance, especially when it comes to the health and safety of Chattanoogans. We want to make sure we have had sufficient time to review the EPA report and get any additional information we may need before moving forward," Berke said in an emailed statement clarifying his remarks after the call.
Hamilton County Health Department Administrator Becky Barnes told the Times Free Press on Thursday that "we have resumed distribution. We gave out some boxes today and some more [are] going out tomorrow."
Gov. Bill Lee's administration purchased 5 million of the masks, made from black sock material, from North Carolina-based manufacturer Renfro at a cost of some $8.2 million to provide Tennesseans with some protection against exposure to the coronavirus.
Lee and the counties halted distribution after a Nashville television news report raising safety concerns over the use of Silvadur 930 Flex, which is used to combat foul odors in clothing.
Lee told reporters Wednesday that the EPA weighing in provided sufficient reassurances for Tennessee to resume distribution of the masks.
"Those masks are safe for Tennesseans, so we have begun the redistribution of those masks," Lee said.
Last month, Lee's administration joined Hamilton, Davidson and Shelby counties in halting the mask distribution. Renfro has a Cleveland, Tennessee-based manufacturing plant and distribution center and has argued all along the chemical used to treat its masks is safe.
The EPA earlier this week issued a statement saying the agency "has evaluated Silvadur 930 Flex and determined that it is safe for use as a materials preservative in textiles or fabric.
"Once Silvadur 930 Flex is incorporated or impregnated into the fabric, it is extremely unlikely that it would be inhaled; therefore, EPA considers inhalation exposures to be negligible and not of concern," EPA stated.
Hamilton County received 550 boxes containing 198,000 masks. The county has distributed 123,120 masks to the public with 53,000 left, according to Barnes.
A spokesperson with the Shelby County Health Department told the Times Free Press Friday that officials have resumed distribution of the masks while a spokesperson with the Metro Health Department in Nashville said officials planned to do so in in light of the EPA's guidance.
Renfro president and CEO Stan Jewell, who has maintained all along the company's masks were safe, said following EPA's statement, "We have had full confidence in our product all along and are very thankful that Tennesseans will once again have access to face masks to help reduce the spread of COVID-19."
Jewell said the masks, "which we stepped up to produce at a time the country needed them, have been a sincere source of pride for me, and for Renfro as a whole. We thank Governor Lee for taking the additional steps to confirm the safety of our masks."
He said the company stepped up to develop and manufacture "a safe, comfortable, and reusable mask to fill a critical need in a national health crisis. We are proud that we could provide 5 million masks to Tennesseans, who may not have otherwise been able to access them during this pandemic – and that in doing so we created about 500 new jobs for Americans in a great time of need."
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550.
Contact Elizabeth Fite at efite@timesfreepress.com.