ScienceDaily (Feb. 5, 2009) — Researchers in West Virginia and Japan are reporting an advance toward a blood test that could help protect consumers from new products containing potentially harmful kinds of nanotubes. These ultra small wisps of carbon — 1/5,000th the width a single human hair — may become the basis for multibillion-dollar medical, consumer electronics, and other industries in the future.

Petia Simeonova and colleagues cite hints from past studies that nanotubes are toxic to the lungs of laboratory animals. Those findings emphasized the need for tests to check on the toxicity before products containing these particles hit the market.

In the new research, scientists deposited nanotubes in the lung of lab mice, and discovered the existence of a “cross-talk” mechanism, in which the animals’ lungs alerted the rest of the body to the nanotubes presence. The alert caused specific genes in the animals to kick into action and produce certain proteins. The resulting biochemical signature of nanotube exposure could become a biomarker for exposure to harmful nanoparticles, the researchers say.

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Journal Reference:

1. Erdely et al. Cross-Talk between Lung and Systemic Circulation during Carbon Nanotube Respiratory Exposure. Potential Biomarkers. Nano Letters, 2009; 9 (1): 36 DOI: 10.1021/nl801828z

Related Stories

Advance In 'Nano-Agriculture:' Tiny Stuff Has Huge Effect On Plant Growth (Oct. 22, 2009) — With potential adverse health and environmental effects often in the news about nanotechnology, scientists are reporting that carbon nanotubes could have beneficial effects in agriculture. Their ...  > read more

Toward 'Invisible Electronics' And Transparent Displays (Feb. 5, 2009) — Researchers in California are reporting an advance toward the long-sought goal of "invisible electronics" and transparent displays, which can be highly desirable for heads-up displays, wind-shield ...  > read more

Nanotechnology In The Environment: Making Sure Wonder Materials Don't Become Wonder Pollutants (Apr. 12, 2008) — As useful as nanotubes may be, the process of making them may have unintentional and potentially harmful impacts on the environment. Carbon nanotubes are 10,000 times thinner than a human hair, yet ...  > read more

Toxic Byproducts of Carbon Nanotube Manufacturing: Are There Green Alternatives? (Aug. 24, 2007) — A new analysis of byproducts discharged to the environment during production of carbon nanotubes -- expected to become the basis of multibillion dollar industries in the 21st century -- has ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Putting Everyday Products to the Test