The Quebec government has distributed 4.6 million of the SNN200642 masks, out of the 116 million provided to schools since January.
T’Cha Dunlevy • Montreal Gazette
The English Montreal School Board stated on Saturday the affected masks were not distributed “by any of our schools or centres.” PHOTO BY JOHN MAHONEY /Montreal Gazette files
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Quebec’s largest school service centre has withdrawn all procedural masks from its schools containing a potentially toxic material called nanoform graphene, in response to a request from the Quebec government.
The Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) made the announcement Sunday, while noting that “the vast majority of the masks used by the CSSDM were not targeted by this recall. The masks removed were adult size, blue on one side, grey on the other.”
The term “nanoform graphene” refers to the carbon coating on the masks.
Quebec’s request followed a recommendation from Health Canada, which stated that it must further study the health risks of the masks in question, made by Quebec manufacturer Métallifer, with the number SNN200642.
The Quebec government has distributed 4.6 million of the SNN200642 masks, out of the 116 million provided to schools since January.
The English Montreal School Board stated on Saturday such masks were not distributed “by any of our schools or centres.”
While the Quebec government has singled out Métallifer, Thomas says any masks containing nanoform graphene are potentially dangerous.
“It’s a much bigger story than Quebec,” he said. “I’m very concerned. These actions being taken in Quebec (to remove the masks from schools) need to be taken around the world.”
Until Health Canada has proven that it is completely safe to use nanoform graphene in masks, Thomas believes no one should take any chances.
Métallifer announced Saturday it is stopping all sales and distribution of its masks with model numbers SNN200642 and SMDP20605.