Nanotubes "As Deadly as Asbestos"

Stony Stevenson writes "Certain carbon nanotubes may be as hazardous to humans as asbestos. A paper to be published in Nature Nanotechnology suggests that inhaling certain types of nanotubes can lead to the formation of mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. "This is a wakeup call for nanotechnology in general and carbon nanotubes in particular," said Andrew Maynard, co-author of the report and chief science adviser to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies." I'm really hoping that those medical face masks get popular again. That's a look that should really be cyclic, like bell-bottoms and thongs. Update: 05/21 19:18 GMT by T : See also this page at the Nanotechnology Project, which features a link to video commentary from Andrew Maynard, the researcher mentioned in the above-linked article.

Comments

Report at 11....

[y86]

Breathing solids into lungs which are supposed to process gases is a bad thing. More at 11.

Re:Report at 11....

[ukemike]

It is illegal to demolish a building anywhere in the US without first conducting a "thorough inspection for the presence of asbestos." In most places you cannot get a demo permit without showing proof that the inspection was done. Many states only allow certified people to conduct the surveys.

SatanicPuppy is right. In a well maintained building it is usually better to leave it in place and manage the asbestos materials than to remove the materials for no reason. But that is not the same as ignoring the issue. If you're gonna safely manage asbestos-containing materials (ACM) then you have to know where they are. The worst thing you can do is say, "we're gonna leave well enough alone" then "lets knock down this wall, which may or may not contain asbestos, to make this office bigger."

I am an asbestos consultant, and I have surveyed hundreds of buildings. Only a tiny handful had no asbestos in them Even brand new buildings usually have some asbestos in them.

I always get a good laugh when someone tells me, "oh well we had the popcorn ceiling tested and this building is asbestos free." Here is a short and far from complete list of materials that frequently contain asbestos:
joint compound/taping mud on sheetrock
texture coats on sheetrock
plaster, esp acoustical plaster
vinyl floor tiles
linoleum
adhesives of all sorts
roofing
roofing patching material
pipe insulation
duct insulation
duct tape
transite
acoustical ceiling tiles
'popcorn' or 'cottage cheese' ceiling
fireproofing
fire door cores
exterior paint

Actually if it isn't wood, glass, ceramic, metal, or plastic then it is suspect. If it is one of those there is a decent chance that it is glued on with ACM adhesive.

Some are safe...

[oodaloop]

From TFA:

"Short or curly carbon nanotubes did not behave like asbestos and, by knowing the possible dangers of long, thin carbon nanotubes, we can work to control them," he said. "This is good news, as it shows that carbon nanotubes and their products could be made to be safe."

Thank god I can keep up my habit of snorting curly nanotubes.

Re:Some are safe...

[Anonymous Coward]

Short and curly eh? More like nanoPUBES.

Okay enough is enough

[ZonkerWilliam]

Here's the Journal entry and an additional article from NewScientist stating, and I quote;

James Bonner at the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, US, will shortly publish one of the first such studies. He says the results suggest that nanotubes do not persist long enough to cause damage. In his experiments, mice breathed air containing 40-micrometer-long multi-walled nanotubes. "Very little inflammatory or fibrogenic effect was observed," he says. Donaldson notes that determining the true risks of nanotubes will involve measuring the ways in which people will be exposed to them, something studies on toxicity cannot judge. There is little evidence about exposure so far, says Donaldson. "But the good news is that nanotubes are probably not very 'dirty'," he says. "They are quite highly charged and stick together, so they don't seem to get airborne easily." So there's probably nothing to be concerned about. Just got to love the %^$#@# media, for putting a spin on things.

uh, where does CmdrTaco live

[JeanBaptiste]

I'm really hoping that those medical face masks get popular again

uh, where does CmdrTaco live that medical face masks were once a popular fashion item? I certainly don't remember that fad. Bell bottoms, I do unfortunately remember, but not medical face masks...

There are some people...

[camperdave]

That's a look that should really be cyclic like bell-bottoms and thongs.

There are some people who should never be seen cycling in thongs.

Centitubes 'As Deadly as a Rabid Badger'

[Anonymous Coward]

Certain cellulose centitubes may be as hazardous to humans as a rabid badger. A paper to be published in Nature Centitechnology suggests that inhaling certain types of centitubes can lead to hemoptysis and accute asphyxia, a condition commonly caused by exposure to rabid badgers. "This is a wakeup call for centitechnology in general and wooden toothpicks in particular," said Andrew Maynard, co-author of the report and chief science adviser to the Project on Emerging Centitechnologies.

and it happens all over again

[anmida]

The situation with nanomaterials is the same as the situation with radioactive materials when that field was new. Having worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, I can say that there used to be practices that were normal that are now regulated to hell, with respect to materials handling, dust generation/cleanliness, etc. Currently, I work somewhere else, and I work with nanomaterials all day long - and when I say nano, I mean powders with individual particles of about 5-20 nm diameter. All the personal protective equipment I usually don is nitrile gloves and safety goggles, and try to work with the material under a fume hood. We try to have safe work practices, but I have the feeling that in 40 years regulations will make you do all your work with them in gloveboxes/cleanrooms/respirators.

Actually...

[DrYak]

Breathing solids into lungs which are supposed to process gases Lung are designed to be able to process most solids, mainly being able to destroy and remove small foreign solids (dust and a-like) that may pose problem (The bigger solids are coughed out so they don't end up inside the lungs - they pose problem, but higher up in the ventilation pathway).

The problem is when said micro particle are supposed to be indestructible (an attribute shared by both asbestos and nanotubes). You got a constant activity of the immune system, which never manage to actually destroy the intruders. Only white cells die and newer cells come trying to clean up the mess, in an endless cycle.

This inflammation over-activity is what leads to the cancers.

But besides, there's nothing incredible there. If one creates a new material that is supposed to be indestructible, there are bound to be problems - both environmental and health - due to that fact that, yes, indeed, the material can't be destroy / got rid of.

Re:Actually...

[stevelinton]

Lung are designed to be able to process most solids, mainly being able to destroy and remove small foreign solids (dust and a-like) that may pose problem (The bigger solids are coughed out so they don't end up inside the lungs - they pose problem, but higher up in the ventilation pathway).

The problem is when said micro particle are supposed to be indestructible (an attribute shared by both asbestos and nanotubes). Another problem is shape. The system is designed to process round solids, not very long thin ones.

Re:Actually...

[Corporate Troll]

Mod up... Asbestosis is best described to the layman as "small needles" destroying the lungs.

Re:There is a big concern here

[JasterBobaMereel]

So

* If they are one particular kind of nanotube

* and they are not highly charged (their normal state)

* and they are made airbourne (which they normally arn't)

* and someone breathes this in (unlikely in many applications)

then they may have an increased possibility of lung cancer .... ... or they could just go outside and breathe some diesel fumes?

Re:Why is this a surprise?

[Hoi Polloi]

Not exactly. A carcinogen like benzene works differently than a nanofiber like asbestos or carbon tubes. Benzene's affect is purely chemical. Asbestos (and nanotubes) cause damage through physical damage. One mechanism is when the fibers are longer than about 17 microns and are too long for white blood cells to envelop (frustrated phagocytosis). Because the fibers can work their way into lung tissue these fibers form a constant source of inflammation and scarring. Another is the fibers can spear individual cells and cause them to leak and physically interfere with chromosome function. It is worth being careful.