EU says face masks don't pose health risks after report raises concerns

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask walks past an illustration of a virus outside a regional science centre amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Oldham, Britain August 3, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Noble

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU authorities say there is no conclusive evidence of a cancer risk from synthetic face masks and have urged people to keep wearing them after a Belgian study warned last month they may contain carcinogens.

Face masks are widely considered crucial tools to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and have become an everyday item for a large part of the world's population through the pandemic.