Recall of millions of FFP2 graphene masks
Thanks to an article in Mediapart, we learned of the recall by the French authorities of FFP2 masks containing graphene. These masks come from the Chinese manufacturer Shandong Shengquan, whose other category of masks was recalled in Canada last March, triggering a cascade of recalls thereafter. The note from Santé publique France was published on the ANSM website on May 25, without much publicity. Nearly 17 million of the 60 million masks ordered were distributed to caregivers in 2020. A risk assessment by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is reportedly underway .
As a reminder, on May 26, the Institut de recherche québécois en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) evaluated the toxicity and release of graphene nanoparticles contained in masks from the same manufacturer (but a different model), concluding that “the potential for exposure to graphene particles through inhalation is very low” but also that “in humans the risk is indeed present and may not be negligible”.
Our information sheets to go further
Other news on the topic
Upcoming Nano Agenda
- Spectacle Art & Science – When science changes as it passes from mouth to mouth
- A unique participatory experience centered on the human factory of knowledge, where two fascinating worlds meet: nanomedicine, with its nanoparticles and cellular nanovectors, and quantum physics, with its superimposed states and complex systems.
- Organizers: Centre National de Compétences en Nanosciences (C’Nano), in collaboration with the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA), the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
- Speakers: Florence Gazeau, academician, physicist, research director at CNRS, and Charles Antoine, PhD in physics, lecturer at Sorbonne University, and Albert Moukheiber, PhD in neuroscience.
- Location: Théâtre de la Ville
- Website: https: //www.theatredelaville-paris.com/…/rencontres/nano-rumeurs…
- 8th Congress of Occupational Medicine and Health (CNMST 2026)
- Theme 5: Emerging pathologies and risks, Mr Henri Bastos (ANSES), Pr Lynda Bensefa-Colas (AP-HP), Dr Catherine Nisse (CHU Lille)
- Website: www.medecine-sante-travail.com
- 20th meeting of the “nano and health” dialogue committee
- Organizer: ANSES