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Hot topics Wednesday 21 May 2008 RAPID ROUNDUP: Asbestos-like risks of carbon nanotubes - expert comment & Fact sheet A new paper in Nature Nanotechnology indicates that some types of carbon nanotubes may have asbestos-like properties. Below are some comments from Australian and UK experts. A fact sheet is also available compliments of our colleagues at the London Science Media Centre. Feel free to use the comments below in your stories. If you would like to speak to an expert, or need a copy of the paper and media release, please don’t hesitate to contact us on (08) 8207 7415 or by email.
Dr Peter Binks is CEO of Nanotechnology Victoria Limited (NanoVic) “This paper provides further information on the possible dangers of certain classes of nanoscale materials, but also highlights that the picture is incomplete. It confirms the need for a thorough evaluation of the transport and toxicology of these materials, via Australian research and cooperation with research in other locations. We believe there should be a national approach to the evaluation of both health and environmental implications of engineered nanomaterials.” Professor Mark Welland is Professor of Nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge, UK. “I welcome this valuable research that represents a part of the growing scientific literature into exploring the potential toxicology of nanoparticles of various shapes, sizes and compositions. As expected, this particular study shows that carbon nanotubes of particular length and size, similar to that of asbestos, may be harmful if inhaled. It therefore neither affects the majority of nano-products nor products after manufacture where nanotubes are embedded within the product.” Professor Richard Jones FRS is an EPSRC Professorial Fellow and Senior Strategic Advisor for Nanotechnology, University of Sheffield, UK. "Up to now, there's been considerable uncertainty about the hazards that carbon nanotubes might pose. This research starts to clarify the issue; not all nanotubes are equal when it comes to potential toxicity, and now we know that it is the longest tubes that are most likely to cause problems. Nanotubes are generally used, not in their free form, but incorporated in other materials like plastics, and if workers, the public and the environment aren't to be put at risk we need to make sure that dangerous numbers of free nanotubes can't be released in manufacture, use or after disposal of products containing them." Professor Mike Horton is Director of Life Sciences, London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London. "The question as to whether ‘long’ carbon nanotubes behave in a similar manner to asbestos and other disease-producing fibres to produce tissue damage is important but complex. The work of Donaldson et al. suggests that there aresimilarities in the early inflammatory response to the two materials, but much more work will be required to provide definitive proof one way or another and to show if the same effects are seen if particles are inhaled and whether exposure levels reach the threshold for the development of cancer (mesothelioma). Their study indicates that there is a need to develop and apply methods to test nanomaterials for potential toxicity and to detect and measure environmental exposure."
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