It is troubling news to parents of thousands of Quebec teens and preteens school children. School children were required to wear a type of COVID-19 mask that has suddenly be declared toxic by Health Canada.
The masks are easy to identify for their grey-blue color combination were recalled in late March. The masks are coated with graphene oxide, a substance linked to lung diseases, are now temporarily banned in Canada.
However, the masks were distributed in millions across Canada, not just for adults but to minors. Many parents, teachers, daycare, transit workers want an answer to how the masks were approved in the first place before being imported.
What has been revealed is that the masks were never approved and it was a misstep on the supply chain. As an order to facilitated COVID-19 related supplies, the masks were subjected to minimal oversight.
Health Canada, the principal authorizer of the use of graphene masks, says it didn’t realize the masks had been imported into Canada until a citizen and a mother of a son in Montreal school emailed them.
Alayne Moody, says she has been looking s troubling studies on graphene. She had never heard of graphene, but that prompted her to research.
Graphene masks have been identified as not pediatric; the Quebec government, during the recall, agreed that they are not child-sized. But the provincial government spent $30 million buying 30 million masks.
The province then ordered that all students beginning in grade seven must wear masks full time at school and must not bring masks from home. For three months, teachers, students were required to wear grapheme masks.
Studies reveal that graphene oxide is a single layer of carbon nanoparticles closely packed together, supposedly acting as a filter. Nanoparticles can pose serious lung risks, especially when the particles are small enough to be inhaled. This also happens in nature when people breathe nanoparticles from wildlife.
For now, it is not clear how the pandemic emergency created a loophole that allowed graphene masks. It was a big misstep that was skipped in a critical period. The masks were initially imported from a company in Shandong Shengquan and made from Biomass material.
In pre-pandemic times, masks are considered as class 1 medical devices. They are not subjected to critical market review. Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that the product is safe and effective.
