The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Submit data on the safety of its graphene-treated face masks Metal Tech News – April 14, 2021
ZEN Graphene and Trebor Rx have submitted the additional information requested by Health Canada and are fully committed to working diligently and collaboratively to ensure ZENGuard enhanced personal protective equipment can make its way to those who need it most as quickly as possible.
ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. and Trebor Rx Corp. have submitted additional information requested by Health Canada in regard to a recent precautionary recall of face masks treated with graphene.
Earlier this month, Health Canada issued an advisory warning that inhaling graphene particles from treated face masks may pose health risks.
Trebor is a Canada-based company that is producing masks treated with an antimicrobial graphene compound developed by ZEN that has been proven in lab tests to be highly effective at killing a broad range of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
ZEN is marketing this proprietary antimicrobial graphene-based coating under the brand name ZENGuard and has applied for the trademark.
ZEN and Trebor both came out in support of the steps taken by Health Canada to regulate graphene-treated personal protective equipment and removing products that are unsafe for the public.
"As a Canadian owned manufacturer of personal protective equipment, we fully support Health Canada's decision to warn the public to the dangers of substandard imported PPE products," said Trebor Rx CEO George Irwin. "Companies that have rushed dangerous PPE to the public should be identified and their products removed from circulation. At Trebor we are proud to hold ourselves to the highest standard."
Testing conducted by Nucro-Technics – a fully accredited research organization that is inspected by and in compliance with the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada – found no irritation or sensitization during a 72-hour application test of the graphene compound developed by ZEN.
Earlier testing by the Canada-based research firm showed no adverse effects of the graphene compound after seven days of repeated doses thousands of times higher than the minimum inhibitory concentration needed for 99.9% effectiveness against viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Separately, Trebor had tests completed on the masks to be treated with the ZEN graphene compound. With these tests, Trebor surgical masks without the graphene coating have received Health Canada approval as a level 1 medical device in line with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.
All the testing carried out for ZEN and Trebor has been turned over to Health Canada.
"ZEN and Trebor have submitted the additional information requested by Health Canada and are fully committed to working diligently and collaboratively to ensure ZENGuard enhanced personal protective equipment can make its way to those who need it most as quickly as possible," said ZEN Graphene CEO Greg Fenton. "Part of this submission was our most recent results from Nucro-Technics, which were not a requirement under ASTM requirements to bring ZENGuard enhanced PPE to market, but something we proactively undertook to provide additional confidence to those using our technology, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to safety and third-party validation."
Made of a single layer of carbon atoms, graphene slices through the protective cell walls of viruses and bacteria, destroying them without the use of drugs.
Multiple tests carried out at laboratories in Canada have shown that the ZENGuard graphene-based compound is 99.9% effective at killing a broad range of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. This includes the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 and multidrug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
"The need for safe, innovative technologies to provide additional protection from airborne pathogens is undeniable – and we are fully committed to our ZENGuard production plans to ensure we can deliver for those most at risk," said Fenton.
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