Evaluation of the health effects of carbon nanotubes
The development, production and technological applications of carbon nanotube are rapidly growing, due to the unique characteristics of these fibers. Consequently, an increase is also expected in human exposure to such materials. However, little is still known about the safety of the multiple sorts of carbon nanotubes. To elucidate the safety of said materials, the Finnish Institute of Occupational health conducted a comprehensive study on their health effects.
Recent studies have suggested that some types of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have similar effects as asbestos (e.g., Poland et al, 2008). This report shows that rigid, long and needle-like MWCNTs induce inflammation and DNA damage in the lungs and in cultured cells, while flexible, long and tangled MWCNTs do not. It appears that the rigidity of MWCNTs is a key feature in triggering a specific inflammatory reaction and in causing cellular alterations involved in cancer formation.
These results provide new information on the adverse effects of MWCNTs and are useful in assessing which forms of MWCNTs require regulatory attention and special safety measures in occupational settings.
Source: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
The study can be obtained here (link not available anymore).
Further studies on the subject:
Poland CA, Duffin R, Kinloch I, Maynard A, Wallace WAH, Seaton A, et al. 2008. Carbon nanotubes introduced into the abdominal cavity of mice show asbestos-like pathogencity in a pilot study. Nat Nanotechnol 3:423–428 (external link, with costs).
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