More Damning Evidence On Nanotubes

This week's TUC Risks report son a news item form the USA regarding Nanotube technology:

A US government research body has confirmed that inhaled carbon nanotubes can penetrate deep into the lung and then migrate into other tissues. The scientists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) say this raises a warning flag about a possible cancer risk. 'This is important because the pleura is the tissue that can develop a form of cancer, malignant mesothelioma, after asbestos exposure, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes are durable fibre-like particles that share many features with asbestos fibres,' Dr Ann Hubbs of NIOSH told investigative reporter Andrew Schneider.

The findings, presented last week before the Society of Toxicology, come on the heels of a warning from the UK health and safety watchdog, which has called for 'a precautionary approach' to the use of carbon nanotubes.

A March 2009 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) information sheet says: 'If their use cannot be avoided, HSE expects a high-level of control to be used,' adding: 'It is good practice to label the material 'Caution: substance not yet fully tested.' The alert followed a Nature Nanotechnology paper showing certain carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may mimic asbestos fibres, with HSE noting: 'While this research does not prove that CNTs will cause the same diseases as asbestos, it does raise the level of concern'.

A Friends of the Earth Australia report last year issued a similar warning on the similarities between nanotubes and asbestos.

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