Recently, a video about "new masks will have ethylene oxide residues" has caused heated discussion. In the video of
, a commentator in a white coat said that it is actually "wrong" to tear the packaging and take the mask, and told everyone that "ethylene oxide" is left in the mask, and said that "ethylene oxide is a first-class carcinogen". It is best to shake the new mask in the air after opening the packaging, so that the ethylene oxide value will drop significantly before wearing it.
Many people began to worry after watching the video, will wearing masks cause cancer? Is there any ethylene oxide residue in the mask?
Regarding the question of whether ethylene oxide residues on masks will cause cancer, Zhang Li, senior engineer of Zhejiang Medical Device Inspection Institute, introduced in People's Daily in December 2021 that ethylene oxide is a broad-spectrum sterilizer that can penetrate the packaging to sterilize medical masks. After sterilization is completed, ethylene oxide can evaporate, and this process is called analysis. ①
Usually, after sterile medical masks are sterilized, the residual ethylene oxide can be released after 7 to 14 days of analysis in the manufacturer. After the analysis is completed, the manufacturer will also test the ethylene oxide residue of the mask in accordance with relevant national standards. Only sterile medical masks that pass the factory inspection can be launched on and sold on . Therefore, as long as it is a medical mask that meets the standards, it is safe and can be used with confidence.
Doctor Sun Yafei, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, also said on People's Daily that my country has formulated clear regulations on the residual content of ethylene oxide used for disinfection and sterilization, and the requirements must be less than 10μg/g. The detection value in the above-mentioned videos circulating online is lower than the national standard, which means that the harm can be ignored. And there is currently no evidence that ethylene oxide can also produce cumulative toxicity below the residual standard limit. Therefore, the statement that masks have ethylene oxide residues cause cancer is not accurate. ①
Do you still need to "shake" before wearing a mask?
Zhu Lin, deputy chief physician of the Disinfection Department of Chaoyang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing, said in November 2021 that the medical surgical masks that everyone wears on a daily basis do not have the threat of carcinogenicity of ethylene oxide residues. For masks produced by regular enterprises, everyone can use them with confidence. ②
So before wearing a mask, is it necessary to "shake the mask" first to reduce the impact of ethylene oxide residues? Zhu Lin said that it is actually unnecessary. In the hospital, we medical staff will not do this. The mask is taken out of the packaging and is sterile and we will not deliberately expose it in the air.
For ordinary people, if you can feel more at ease by shaking and drying, then doing so in general will not hinder the protective effect of the mask. ②
This article is summarized from:
①2021-12-01 People's Daily Science Popularization "You must "shake" when wearing a mask? The truth is coming" (Mei Yixuan, Song Wenzhen)
②2021-11-30 Beijing Daily Client "Is it true that "mask disinfection residues can cause cancer" online rumor is it? Disease Control Experts Say That's it"
Editor of this article: Wang Zhen Director of Review: Yang Xiaoming
