In a study published in the journal Current Biology, a team of scientists led by Marion MacFarlane of the UK’s Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit report that up to 25% of mice injected with carbon nanofibres developed mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos.
The findings applied only to long, thin carbon nanofibres. Other shapes, such as short fat ones, were expelled successfully by the rodents’ immune systems. The study involved 32 mice, who were injected with the carbon nanotubes directly into the pleura – the membranes that line the thorax and envelope the lungs.
The study’s findings have not been replicated in humans.
Long carbon nanotubes are widely used in a range of applications. They are lightweight and very strong, so are useful in the manufacture of computer motherboards, cars, aircraft and sporting goods.
"Importantly, not all nanofibres pose a hazard," says MacFarlane.
"We want our research to inform manufacturers and regulators about safer options when a nanofibre is being selected for the production of nanomaterials for emerging technologies.”
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/carbon-nanofibres-linked-to-mesothelioma
