Health Canada has issued an advisory urging Canadians to not use face masks that contain graphene, due to the potential of inhaling particles that may pose health risks.
The federal regulator says its preliminary assessment of available research identified that inhaled graphene particles had some potential to cause early lung toxicity in animals.
“However, the potential for people to inhale graphene particles from face masks and the related health risks are not yet known, and may vary based on mask design,” Health Canada’s advisory published on April 2 explains.
Health Canada says until a thorough scientific assessment is completed and the safety and effectiveness of graphene-containing face masks is established, it is removing them from the market as a precaution.
The agency says any face masks labelled as containing graphene or biomass graphene should not be used.