Have a question? Email us today.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Home » Asbestos And Meso News » Carbon Nanotubes May Cause Mesothelioma
Researchers Warn That Nanotubes May Be As Dangerous As Asbestos
October 23, 2007
According to researchers, carbon nanotubes, which have been called a "wonder material for the 21st century," could pose similar health risks as asbestos fibers. Asbestos, a wonder material of an earlier age, was used in thousands of products for decades before it became known that asbestos exposure can lead to life-threatening health conditions, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung caner.
A study published this year by the journal Nature Nanotechnology revealed that nanotubes, which are needle-like carbon molecules one-50,000th the width of a human hair, caused disease symptoms in mice just like those caused by asbestos fibers. Specifically, when injected into the abdomens of mice, nanotubes caused the mice to develop lesions similar to the lesions that people who inhale asbestos fibers develop on the lining surrounding the lungs.
In the case of asbestos, the lesions on the lining surrounding the lungs eventually become mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer. The researchers in the nanotube study, however, portrayed their results as good news because people who work with nanotubes can now take steps to prevent future exposure.
“In a sense, we’re forewarned and forearmed now with respect to nanotubes,” said Anthony Seaton, a professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Discovered in the early 1990s, nanotubes are essentially rolled-up sheets of carbon that can be used to produce materials that are far lighter and stronger than steel. Nanotubes are found in a wide range of common consumer products, such as high-tech tennis rackets, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.
The recent nanotube study did not look at how easily nanotubes become airborne or whether they become lodged in the lungs if inhaled. Doctors and scientists believe, however, that the people in greatest danger are those working with loose nanotubes at factories and laboratories. In other words, nanotubes embedded in consumer products, such as golf clubs and bicycle frames, probably do not present any danger.
Still, there is some concern that nanotubes in products could be released later, just as asbestos in concrete and automobile brake pads was inhaled by construction workers and mechanics. Consequently, more research is needed to determine the extent of the risk posed by nanotubes.
Mesothelioma Attorneys
If you or someone you love has developed mesothelioma cancer (or a family member has died from mesothelioma cancer), contact us today for a free and confidential assessment of your case.
