Memo to: WQSB Parents, Guardians, and Students
From: G. Singfield
Re: Follow-up to Health Canada Recommendation re: Procedural Masks
Good morning,
Further to the letter which was distributed on Friday, March 26th, this letter serves to provide additional information regarding the recommendation by Health Canada to discontinue the use of the procedural face-masks referred to below. Please note that the information provided in this letter is the information that has been provided to the senior administration team at the Western Quebec School Board.
As stated in the letter dated March 26, 2021, the Western Quebec School Board senior administration received a directive from the provincial government on March 26th, mandating a recall of all disposable face masks (Reference # SNN200642- blue and gray procedural masks) from schools and centres. As indicated in the March 26th letter to parents, all schools and centres have been directed to box the masks in question for pick-up, coordinated by the WQSB Buildings department.
In its communication, Health Canada advised “of a potential emerging risk concerning face masks that are coated with nanoform graphene materials, and cautioning the use of these devices in your healthcare networks, schools and daycares.” Health Canada indicated that a preliminary risk assessment has been conducted, which “identified a potential for early pulmonary toxicity associated with the inhalation of nanoform graphene.” Health Canada also stated that “to date, Health Canada has not received data to support the safety and efficacy of face masks containing nanoform graphene.” In a further statement, Health Canada added “in the absence of manufacturer’s evidence to support the safe and effective use of nanoform graphene coated masks, Health Canada considers the risk of these medical devices to be unacceptable.”
Based on the fore-mentioned recommendation from Health Canada, coupled with the immediate directive for a recall of the face masks containing nanoform graphene, the Western Quebec School Board is committed to ensuring that no masks containing graphene nanoform will be distributed to any of its schools, centres, or offices.
In the event any further information is received, an update will be distributed to all stakeholders in our school community.
Sincerely,
George Singfield
Secretary General and Director of Corporate Services
Secrétaire général et directeur des services corporatifs
georgesingfield@wqsb.qc.ca