Graphene in Face Masks: What You Need to Know
At The Canadian Shield we pride ourselves on giving transparent, up-to-date information in order for our customers to make informed purchasing decisions.
Recently, as you may have seen on the news, Health Canada released an advisory notice urging Canadians not to use face masks with graphene or biographene, citing risks associated with inhaling graphene particles. After undergoing “preliminary assessment”, graphene particles have shown “some potential to cause early lung toxicity in animals”. This advisory was issued after face masks containing graphene, which were manufactured overseas, were distributed in Quebec schools.
The Canadian Shield Face Masks are not affected by this advisory, and do not contain graphene of any kind. This includes our Medical-Grade Procedural Masks as well as our Semi-Reusable Face Masks.
As one of Canada’s largest manufacturers of personal protective equipment, equipping our customers with reliable, safe and high-quality products is of utmost importance to us.
What You Need to Know
Important information about graphene in face masks:
- Graphene or biographene, is a new nanomaterial or material made of tiny particles
- Recently, in the medical mask manufacturing industry, this additive was used to try and give face masks antiviral or antibacterial properties
- Antiviral or antibacterial masks are face masks most often made with a material additive designed to kill viruses or bacteria upon contact
- This graphene additive can be layered onto the polypropylene material used to produce face masks during the manufacturing process, and can result in a black/grey colouring
- For more information on how to identify whether your face masks contain graphene and how to report these products, click here
What you need to know about The Canadian Shield Face Masks:
- All of our polypropylene face masks are graphene-free (including Level 1, 2 & 3 and Semi-Reusable)
- Our masks consist of three layers: two outer layers of spunbond polypropylene as well as a middle filtration layer of meltblown polypropylene
- Our face masks do not contain any type of additive to give them antiviral or antibacterial properties
- Our face masks have been tested by accredited & certified laboratories to meet ASTM F2100 requirements for Level 1, Level 2 & Level 3 medical-grade face masks
- We produce 100% of our face masks in Canada, at our Waterloo, Ontario facility
- We have a rigorous vendor vetting process to verify that our material is produced by reliable, accredited suppliers
- Our in-house testing capabilities allow us to perform in-coming quality checks on all of our material inventory before it goes into production
- Our cutting-edge machine vision and AI systems allow us to use state-of-the-art technology to aid in our quality assurance production processes
- To visit our online store and purchase graphene-free face masks, click here
Why Buy Canadian-Made Medical-Grade Masks?
When you choose to purchase medical-grade masks that are made in Canada, you are making an informed choice that is beneficial to you and other Canadians. Buying a mask that has been produced by a reputable manufacturer and tested for ASTM compliance means you’re buying a quality, reliable piece of PPE, made by Canadians for Canadians.
Buying directly from Canadian manufacturers of medical-grade masks also means you’re directly supporting Canadian companies, workers, and industries.
Manufacturing medical-grade masks in Canada allows for maximum control over the quality of the product that makes it out the door. The Canadian Shield is proud to uphold some of the highest standards for quality in the industry.