Through a letter sent to the European Commission in early April, four NGOs are sounding the alarm on masks containing graphene, a nanomaterial dangerous to health.
NGO warning part of a decision made in Canada. Difficulty breathing, skin irritation and the feeling of “ breathe cat hair These are the symptoms reported by several children where thirty million of these masks have been distributed in schools in Quebec. Disturbed by the symptoms described, the Canadian Department of Health recalled on March 26 all masks containing graphene. Since then, these polypropylene masks are no longer available in Canadian pharmacies, they would be “Potentially toxic”. They are recognizable by their gray and blue colors and generally the references of these carry the code “SNN200642 “. The Quebec federal ministry indicated that “ Inhalation of graphene particles could cause early pulmonary toxicity in animals. We do not yet know the risk to human health ”.
Asked by LCI, Élisabeth Ruffinengo, lawyer for the NGO Women Engage for a Common Future campaigns for its ban in France and in Europe “if the highest health authority in Canada has made this decision, it is normal that Europe is asking questions “, she said. According to ETC Group, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Health Care Without Harm and Women Engage for a Common Future, the sale of these masks could “Dangerously undermine public confidence in wearing masks”, warn the NGOs.
What is graphene?
It is a very light and ultra resistant nanomaterial. Its use is very widespread in industry, in particular for the manufacture of electronic equipment. Graphene also plays a leading role in the fight against Covid-19. Indeed, the carbon flakes which compose it have virucidal properties. According to a study published in ScienceDirect, “ functionalized graphene demonstrated good viral capture capacity which, combined with heat or light inactivation, could be used as a disinfectant. Graphene sensor networks can be used on utility textiles “, explain the authors of the study. Problem, its effectiveness against coronaviruses can in return, cause deleterious effects on health. This is what the American physico-chemist Andrew Maynard advances to the media The world “What if this virus killer material gets into your body? Will it act the same against your cells? “.
Masks still on sale in Europe
Still according to Le Monde, the Chinese company Shengquan, which produces graphene masks, says it has exported “nearly 600 million masks” to Europe in a single year. It is this same Chinese company which is currently incriminated in Canada. For the moment, the European Union has given no official response to the request of NGOs asking Europe to ban the marketing of masks on the continent. “We do not question the need to wear the mask. It’s just a shame that by wanting to protect individuals from Covid, we are creating another potential dangerous exposure “, deplores Élisabeth Ruffinengo at LCI, lawyer for the NGO Women Engage for a Common Future.
