UST partners with Dentec, AMMA to support search and rescue in Israel

BALTIMORE—United Safety Technology is partnering with Dentec Safety Specialists and the American Medical Manufacturers Association to provide humanitarian aid to Israel.

ZAKA Search and Rescue, a Jerusalem-based voluntary organization, will receive 400 Comfort-Air Reusable Respirators with reusable P100OV organic vapor at no cost. The device filters "nuisance levels of organic vapors."

UST, a Baltimore-based manufacturer of nitrile gloves; Dentec, a Lenexa, Kan.-based manufacturer of respiratory protection and related personal protective equipment; and the AMMA, the leading trade group representing PPE manufacturers in the U.S., will support the manufacture and shipping of the equipment, according to an Oct. 18 press release.

Dan Izhaky, founder of UST and president of AMMA, said since many members of the association got their start in response to a crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, "it felt natural to find ways to partner and assist an important ally in a crisis.

"When we looked at the immediate challenges facing Israel in response to the terror attacks, we knew AMMA's network could help with supplies and support, and we are pleased to partner with Dentec," he said.

Dentec will provide ZAKA with 400 DISKIT P100OV Complete Elastomeric Rubber Half Mask Respirators, which include reusable P100OV organic vapor filters, according to the press release. All equipment and raw materials of the respirators are manufactured in the U.S.

Claudio Dente, co-founder of Dentec, said the respirators are used in difficult situations and that the company is proud to send its support.

"In Israel, the ZAKA Search and Rescue volunteers are working in the most trying circumstances to save and honor the lives of those stricken by terror."

Dentec's respirators feature extra-large inhalation valves that provide greater comfort during inhalation, and the exhalation valve diaphragm ensures more hot air exits the mask as quickly as possible to reduce heat buildup, according to Dentec.

The elastomeric respirator provides a better fit with an air-tight seal for all face shapes and sizes, and the wearer can manually disinfect the reusable filters, contributing to 95-percent waste reduction and 90-percent cost savings compared to disposable respirators, according to the press release.

"The AMMA ecosystem in the U.S. is uniquely qualified to meet many urgent needs in Israel for PPE," AMMA Executive Director Eric Axel said. "We value the work of ZAKA and have put our network's collective resources into action."

In a recent statement, Mati Goldstein, chief operating officer of ZAKA, said the organization's storehouses of PPE are nearly empty, noting four years of equipment for collecting and handling corpses have run out in "just three days."

Donations to ZAKA can be sent to zakaworld.org.