Researchers uncover how nanoparticles may damage lungs

[IDemo]

Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:31am EDT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Researchers in China appear to have uncovered how nanoparticles which are used in medicine for diagnosis and delivering drugs may cause lung damage.

Nanotechnology, or the science of the extremely tiny, is an important industry. One nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.

Apart from medicine, it is used in products like sporting goods, cosmetics, tires and electronics and has a projected annual market of around US$1 trillion by 2015.

However, concerns are growing that it may have toxic effects, particularly to the lungs. But it has never been clear how the damage is caused.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUST34463720090612

[Swede]

1. I read somewhere that nano aluminum and bamboo used in clothing

is migrating to the brain,it is too small for our organic filters. Who knows what this will bring.

[aquart]

2. Trouble.

We're quite delicate.

[ThomCat]

3. Wouldn't it be nice if science had to be proven safe before it could

be distributed commercially? Instead it just has to be proven profitable, and we only find out if it's safe by watching to see how many people sicken or die. :(

Somehow this seems backwards with something that seems as obviously hazardous as nano-technology.

[KT2000]

4. Great comment!

The business plan for Monsanto's GMO products, written by Andersen of Enron fame, said to flood the market so objections would come too late. Looks the same for nanoparticles.

[DCKit]

5. Interesting perspective, and it applies to nearly all large corporations.

And if you threaten to sue them or legislate their products out of existence, well, they've already made so much selling their particular brand of poison, nobody can afford to go up against them. In several cases, even nations have been intimidated (when the bribes don't work) into dropping or prohibiting lawsuits against multi-nationals.

Corporations, by definition, are sociopathic entities.

[KT2000]

6. "sociopathic entities"

that is so true and a useful term that I will use often - thanks.