Some carbon "nanotubes"—a key nanotechnology product—may behave like asbestos fibers and pose a health threat, according to new research in mice (Poland CA et al. Nat Nanotechnology. 10.1038/nnano.2008.111 [published online ahead of print May 20, 2008]).
Nanotubes, minuscule cylinders only a few billionths of a meter in diameter, are under study for applications in medicine, electronics, and other areas. But some scientists have raised concerns about potential health risks of some nanotubes that have a needlelike shape similar to that of asbestos fibers.
To study this possibility, researchers in Scotland and the United States injected long multiwalled carbon nanotubes into the abdominal cavity of mice. The animals developed inflammation and precancerous growths—granulomas—effects similar to those provoked by asbestos fibers.
The finding is important "because research and business communities continue to invest heavily in carbon nanotubes for a wide range of products under the assumption that they . . . [Full Text of this Article]
