CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY: Carbon Nano Tubes

CASE STUDY: Carbon Nano Tubes

Carbon Nano tubes and its effect on lungs

Carbon nano tubes can cause lung damage

Random prolonged inhalation of carbon nano tubes, which are considered to be very promising component for various structural and functional materials, can lead to lung damage similar to damage from exposure to asbestos. Accidental prolonged inhalation of carbon nano tubes, which are considered to be very promising component for various structural and functional materials, can lead to lung damage similar to damage from exposure to asbestos, according to the authors of a study published in the journal Nature Nano tubes(Allhoff, 2008).

Carbon nano tubes referred elongated cylindrical structure constructed from carbon atoms having a thickness of one to several tens nanometers and reach length of several centimeters. Carbon nano tubes have high strength, so on this basis developed heavy-duty fabric and other materials. Furthermore, carbon nano tubes are very interesting electronic properties which, depending on the tube structure may be similar to the properties of either metal or semiconductor properties. Because of its small size and weight, the carbon nano tubes can penetrate into the body together with the inhaled air, which, as shown by the group of James Bonner, they are retained and can lead to undesirable effects (Ackland, 2006).

Despite the promising use in many areas of the industry that component, scientists fear that prolonged exposure to carbon nano tubes on the human body can lead to dangerous and even fatal illnesses.' We do not want to say that carbon nano tubes are as dangerous as asbestos - we do not reliably know. We have not found evidence that carbon nano tubes could lead to the development of cancer, we are only able to show that getting into the lungs, carbon nano tubes as a result, find themselves in the same tissues, and asbestos fibers, commented on the work Bonner, lead author of the study from the University of North Carolina in the United States, as quoted by Chemistry World (Dowling, 2004).

Carbon nano tubes and asbestos fibers make them unusual shape - the ratio of high strength at a small thickness and great length. Once in the lungs, these fibers can become lodged in a bilayer membrane, called the pleura, which separates the lungs from the rest of the thorax. In the case of asbestos fibers get stuck in the membrane cause various lung diseases, as well as mesothelioma - slowly flowing form of lung cancer (Noack, 2005).

Scientists conducted their research on mice, the results of which showed that after inhalation of carbon nano tubes surface lining of the lungs and penetrate the membrane, reaching the outside of the shell that protects the lungs (Macoubrie, 2006)..

The danger posed by a carbon nano tube, has been discussed in the previous year, when the researchers conducted a series of experiments on direct injection to animals. Now a group of Bonner held closer to the reality of the experiment, which shows the effect of accidental inhalation of the nano tubes (Keller, ...