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Related: About this forumSuper-Strong, High-Tech Material Found to be Toxic to Aquatic Animals by Researchers at MU and USGS
http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2012/0822-super-strong-high-tech-material-found-to-be-toxic-to-aquatic-animals-by-researchers-at-mu-and-usgs/[font face=Serif][font size=5]Super-Strong, High-Tech Material Found to be Toxic to Aquatic Animals by Researchers at MU and USGS[/font]
[font size=4]Carbon nanotubes hold promise for industry but need monitoring, say researchers[/font]
Aug. 22, 2012
Story Contact(s):
Timothy Wall, walltj@missouri.edu, 573-882-3346
[font size=3]COLUMBIA, Mo. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are some of the strongest materials on Earth and are used to strengthen composite materials, such as those used in high-performance tennis rackets. CNTs have potential uses in everything from medicine to electronics to construction. However, CNTs are not without risks. A joint study by the University of Missouri and United States Geological Survey found that they can be toxic to aquatic animals. The researchers urge that care be taken to prevent the release of CNTs into the environment as the materials enter mass production.
The great promise of carbon nanotubes must be balanced with caution and preparation, said Baolin Deng, professor and chair of chemical engineering at the University of Missouri. We dont know enough about their effects on the environment and human health. The EPA and other regulatory groups need more studies like ours to provide information on the safety of CNTs.
CNTs are microscopically thin cylinders of carbon atoms that can be hundreds of millions of times longer than they are wide, but they are not pure carbon. Nickel, chromium and other metals used in the manufacturing process can remain as impurities. Deng and his colleagues found that these metals and the CNTs themselves can reduce the growth rates or even kill some species of aquatic organisms. The four species used in the experiment were mussels (Villosa iris), small flies larvae (Chironomus dilutus), worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) and crustaceans (Hyalella azteca).
One of the greatest possibilities of contamination of the environment by CNTs comes during the manufacture of composite materials, said Hao Li, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at MU. Good waste management and handling procedures can minimize this risk. Also, to control long-term risks, we need to understand what happens when these composite materials break down.
[/font][/font]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.1888[font size=4]Carbon nanotubes hold promise for industry but need monitoring, say researchers[/font]
Aug. 22, 2012
Story Contact(s):
Timothy Wall, walltj@missouri.edu, 573-882-3346
[font size=3]COLUMBIA, Mo. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are some of the strongest materials on Earth and are used to strengthen composite materials, such as those used in high-performance tennis rackets. CNTs have potential uses in everything from medicine to electronics to construction. However, CNTs are not without risks. A joint study by the University of Missouri and United States Geological Survey found that they can be toxic to aquatic animals. The researchers urge that care be taken to prevent the release of CNTs into the environment as the materials enter mass production.
The great promise of carbon nanotubes must be balanced with caution and preparation, said Baolin Deng, professor and chair of chemical engineering at the University of Missouri. We dont know enough about their effects on the environment and human health. The EPA and other regulatory groups need more studies like ours to provide information on the safety of CNTs.
CNTs are microscopically thin cylinders of carbon atoms that can be hundreds of millions of times longer than they are wide, but they are not pure carbon. Nickel, chromium and other metals used in the manufacturing process can remain as impurities. Deng and his colleagues found that these metals and the CNTs themselves can reduce the growth rates or even kill some species of aquatic organisms. The four species used in the experiment were mussels (Villosa iris), small flies larvae (Chironomus dilutus), worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) and crustaceans (Hyalella azteca).
One of the greatest possibilities of contamination of the environment by CNTs comes during the manufacture of composite materials, said Hao Li, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at MU. Good waste management and handling procedures can minimize this risk. Also, to control long-term risks, we need to understand what happens when these composite materials break down.
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Super-Strong, High-Tech Material Found to be Toxic to Aquatic Animals by Researchers at MU and USGS (Original Post)
OKIsItJustMe
Aug 2012
OP
Nihil
(13,508 posts)1. Said so optimistically ...
> The great promise of carbon nanotubes must be balanced with caution and preparation
> Good waste management and handling procedures can minimize this risk."
Caution, preparation, waste management & handling go out of the window when the possibility
of profit arrives (followed closely by the rich multinational corporations who overrule the EPA).
OKIsItJustMe
(19,938 posts)2. Nanofibre health risk quantified
http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/all-news/nanofibres-220812
[font face=Serif][font size=5]Nanofibre health risk quantified[/font]
[font size=4]Health risks posed to people who work with tiny fibres used in manufacturing industries could be reduced, thanks to new research.[/font]
[font size=3]Research into the health risks posed by nanofibres - used to strengthen objects from tennis rackets to airplane wings - has pinpointed the lengths at which these fibres are harmful to the lungs.
[font size=4]Health risks[/font]
Nanofibres, which can be made from a range of materials including carbon, are about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and can reach the lung cavity when inhaled.
This may lead to a cancer known as mesothelioma, which is known to be caused by breathing in asbestos fibres, which are similar to nanofibres.
[/font][/font]
[font size=4]Health risks posed to people who work with tiny fibres used in manufacturing industries could be reduced, thanks to new research.[/font]
[font size=3]Research into the health risks posed by nanofibres - used to strengthen objects from tennis rackets to airplane wings - has pinpointed the lengths at which these fibres are harmful to the lungs.
[font size=4]Health risks[/font]
Nanofibres, which can be made from a range of materials including carbon, are about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and can reach the lung cavity when inhaled.
This may lead to a cancer known as mesothelioma, which is known to be caused by breathing in asbestos fibres, which are similar to nanofibres.
[/font][/font]