Carbon nanotubes have practical applications for anything and everything, but is there a dark side of CN that we are ignoring?
Nanotechnology was supposed to revolutionize the world. Experts
in material science, bioengeering, and chemical engineering were now
beginning to manufacture products 0.0001 times the width of a
human hair. The unique properties of materials this small
promised a future of advanced miniaturization of electronic components,
novel pharamaceuticals and drug delivery systems, improved gas mileage,
longer lasting tennis balls, better sunscreens and even flat panel
televisions that anyone can afford.
While that future
may still come, there is rising concern about the potential risks of
nanoparticle toxicity. Carbon nanotubes are at the forefront of
the discussion. In 2004, NASA researchers at the Johnson Space
Center showed that when carbon nanotubes reached the lungs, they were
more toxic than carbon black and even quartz on an equal-weight
basis. In 2005, researchers at UT El Paso, showed that the cell
toxicity effect of carbon-nanotubes was essential identical to that of
chrysotile asbestos. Last March at a Society of Toxicology
meeting, researchers from Tottori University showed the first
series of images that showed carbon nanotubes entering the blood within
a minute of contact with the lung. Once in the blood, the
negatively charged carbon nanotubes attached to red blood cells,
potentially leading to future complications.
On the other hand,
the carbon nanotubes which are so dangerous in the lung may actually
provide a ideal structure for bone growth and repair following
injury. Carbon nanotubes also have a role in the
development of high tensile-strength fibers, more efficient
diodes, ultra-efficient solar panels. Likewise, nanoparticles made of
cerium and yttrium oxides actually have antioxidant properties and enhance cell survival.
The
real question is whether the concern should be primarily for workers in
the industry who are continuously exposed to the nanoparticles, or if
the proliferation of nanoparticles in the environment will make it a
concern for everyone. No one knows the answer. The good
news is that the industry is taking a close look at the problems and
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (a division
of the CDC) and the European Commission are both in the process of
developing additional safety guidelines.
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
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