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Carbon Nanotubes - The Asbestos for the Rest of Us
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A damper may be placed over the engineering and scientific possibilities of carbon nanotubes should a study out of the UK garner a lot of attention. Mice injected with specific lengths of the tiny fibers were found to cause asbestos-like symptoms in their lungs - a finding that will surely get the Lab Mice Union up in arms. The long, straight shape of the nanotubes causes problems in the linings of the lung: inflammation, scarring, and cancer in the long term. No need to panic just yet, as is often the case when the “C word” is mentioned - further studies have yet to be completed that would provide conclusive linking of cancer to nanotube inhaling.
They are already known to be incorporated into products such as tennis rackets, bicycle handlebars and baseball bats, where they are used because of their strength and light weight.
Other undocumented products may also make use of them, the researchers said, but companies did not have a duty to report their use.
“As a society, we cannot afford not to exploit this incredible material but neither can we afford to get it wrong - as we did with asbestos,” said Dr Andrew Maynard the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC, US.
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