Carbon nanotubes are as
promising as they are dangerous, scientists warned, associating the effects
they may have on human health with those of asbestos if inhaled. The study,
published in Tuesday’s edition of the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology,
experimented with the effects of carbon nanotubes on mice, by injecting them
into their abdomens. The consequences were as destructive for their lungs as
the inhalation of asbestos.
Andrew Maynard, co-author of the
study, warned that if the carbon nanotubes would somehow get released into the
air, and consequently inhaled, they would have disastrous effects, just like
asbestos. It is well known that the longer the exposure to asbestos, the
greater the risk of disease is. Studies have shown that asbestos can be
found both in the air and in the water, and that people exposed to it can
develop mesothelioma (lung cancer which manifests through chest pain, weight loss, and can
only be detected through X-ray) and even prostate cancer in men.
Carbon nanotubes have a lot of
applications, and they are considered to be the material of the future, thanks
to their extraordinary properties: they are strong, have electrical properties and
work as thermal conductors. So far, multiple studies on the levels of toxicity
carbon nanotubes can produce have been more than confusing. This time however,
scientists warn that people who work with carbon nanotubes should be protected
from the dangers of long exposure.
As they begin to be used in a
variety of products, from clothes to tennis rackets and bicycle frames, it is
not OK to let people think it is safe working with carbon nanotubes, Maynard
said, while at the same time saying he didn’t expect a tennis racket for
example to become dangerous any time soon. Further tests need to be conducted,
but it is important to trigger alarm signals on the potential dangers, rather
than wait for people to get ill.
The first to be exposed are of
course the people who process carbon nanotubes, the study says, but scientists
still want to investigate whether a broken or damaged product could trigger
health problems. Previous tests on mice have shown that while carbon nanotubes
have triggered the inflammation of the tissue when inhaled, the levels of
toxicity in cells varied from high to no toxicity at all, which created a lot
of confusion on whether this is indeed a toxic material.Carbon nanotubes manufacturers
have already started taking precautionary measures, by using dust masks with respiratory
filters for workers.
However, not all findings were negative. Scientists concluded that not all nanotubes are dangerous: the study
revealed that the short carbon nanotubes might not be harmful, compared to long
carbon nanotubes, but that’s not a reason to believe we are safe. Professor Kenneth Donaldson from
the University of Edinburgh, U.K., pointed out that this might be actually a
sign that carbon nanotubes, along with the resulted products, could be made to
be safe. However, that is something we might obtain in the future. For now, it
is better to prevent the potential harmful effects of carbon nanotubes rather
than wake up in forty years and feel sorry for not taking precautionary
measures at the right time.
