By John DeFore
In recent months, more and more of the exciting announcements in the green technology field — from cheaper solar cell production to hypothetical clothing that could generate electricity from its wearers’ movements — have involved nanotubes.
The microscopic rolls of carbon that allow for such engineering feats, though, may pose environmental risks even as they help produce greener electricity. According to a study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the shape of the tiny particles may have an affect on animals resembling that of asbestos.
The study was conducted on mice, which were injected with the tubes. While “short” nanotubes (around 5 microns long) produced no observed ill effects, “long” ones of about 20 microns developed the same kind of lesions mice got when exposed to asbestos — lesions that, as doctors explained this week to the New York Times, would almost certainly have developed into cancer.
The researchers took pains to say that their findings weren’t necessarily cause for alarm among consumers: In present applications (they’re used to make lightweight golf clubs and other goods), after all, there’s nothing to indicate that particles could become airborne or enter the body. But those who work in labs with the nanotubes, or in factories where they’re used, will be at greater risk, and those environments should be subject to safety regulations while further research is done.
As the authors of the study put it in their abstract, “This is of considerable importance, because research and business communities continue to invest heavily in carbon nanotubes for a wide range of products under the assumption that they are no more hazardous than graphite. Our results suggest the need for further research and great caution before introducing such products into the market if long-term harm is to be avoided.”
Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media
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