9 ms·

I think nanotubes are carcinogenic

echelon 10y ago
Indeed, they are: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23751780 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23751780 http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/iarcs-review-carbon-nanotubes.html http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-heal... The mechanism is similar to that of asbestos.
- adenot 10y ago
  Unless dissolved in olive oil, then it has lifespan extending properties. https://alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/report/fullerene-c60 https://alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/report/fullerene...
  - ehsanu1 10y ago
    Not to defend any unsubstantiated claims, but C60 is not exactly the same as a nanotube. There doesn't seem to be evidence that C60 is toxic/carcinogenic (though not necessarily solid evidence in the other direction either): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_impact_of_fullerenes#Buckyballs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_impact_of_fullerenes#Bu...
    - therein 10y ago
      C60 isn't toxic, in fact it is an anti-oxidant, a very strong one. Oxidative stress is sometimes desirable, though, for instance C60 is exceptional at neutralizing Nitric Oxide. You know what is one of NO's functions in the body? Erections. After cessation, the anti-boner effects seem to disappear, though. Such a shame it even had that effect to begin with because it really made me feel more energetic and happier while allowing me to (consistently and basically within a day or two of starting to take it) do twice the reps during my workouts.
  - narrator 10y ago
    No that's C60 which is 60 carbon atoms in the shape of a geodesic dome. Carbon Nanotubes are completely different, they are long and stringy and get tangled up in cells and break them and can't be removed.
- sndean 10y ago
  Interestingly, some groups are trying to use them as a delivery platform for cancer therapies [1], though I don't really understand how they'd compete with something biocompatible and tested like liposomes. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210734/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210734/
ythl 10y ago
pure carbon is, counter-intuitively, carcinogenic.
- agumonkey 10y ago
  Indeed, I naively assumed that being a carbon based organism, more carbon couldn't do much harm.
  - pkhagah 10y ago
    Breathing pure oxygen is also harmful.
    - jcoffland 10y ago
      Or drinking too much water.
      - snuxoll 10y ago
        The Adam Ruins Everything segment on this was great, it takes a large deal of water to poison yourself but somehow people manage to do it because of myths about hydration.
      - BurningFrog 10y ago
        Everything is toxic in too large amount. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison
        agumonkey 10y ago
        I was recently reading about the blood / kidney salt balance too. Same for pH. Interesting how our body spends time in a balancing act.
  - ekianjo 10y ago
    Carbon based expression is misleading as usual. Organic based life (i.e. based on carbon structure chemistry) is more accurate.

Indeed, they are: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23751780 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23751780 http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/iarcs-review-carbon-nanotubes.html http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-heal... The mechanism is similar to that of asbestos.

adenot 10y ago
Unless dissolved in olive oil, then it has lifespan extending properties. https://alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/report/fullerene-c60 https://alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/report/fullerene...
- ehsanu1 10y ago
  Not to defend any unsubstantiated claims, but C60 is not exactly the same as a nanotube. There doesn't seem to be evidence that C60 is toxic/carcinogenic (though not necessarily solid evidence in the other direction either): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_impact_of_fullerenes#Buckyballs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_impact_of_fullerenes#Bu...
  - therein 10y ago
    C60 isn't toxic, in fact it is an anti-oxidant, a very strong one. Oxidative stress is sometimes desirable, though, for instance C60 is exceptional at neutralizing Nitric Oxide. You know what is one of NO's functions in the body? Erections. After cessation, the anti-boner effects seem to disappear, though. Such a shame it even had that effect to begin with because it really made me feel more energetic and happier while allowing me to (consistently and basically within a day or two of starting to take it) do twice the reps during my workouts.
- narrator 10y ago
  No that's C60 which is 60 carbon atoms in the shape of a geodesic dome. Carbon Nanotubes are completely different, they are long and stringy and get tangled up in cells and break them and can't be removed.
sndean 10y ago
Interestingly, some groups are trying to use them as a delivery platform for cancer therapies [1], though I don't really understand how they'd compete with something biocompatible and tested like liposomes. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210734/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210734/

ythl 10y ago

pure carbon is, counter-intuitively, carcinogenic.

agumonkey 10y ago
Indeed, I naively assumed that being a carbon based organism, more carbon couldn't do much harm.
- pkhagah 10y ago
  Breathing pure oxygen is also harmful.
  - jcoffland 10y ago
    Or drinking too much water.
    - snuxoll 10y ago
      The Adam Ruins Everything segment on this was great, it takes a large deal of water to poison yourself but somehow people manage to do it because of myths about hydration.
    - BurningFrog 10y ago
      Everything is toxic in too large amount. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dose_makes_the_poison
      - agumonkey 10y ago
        I was recently reading about the blood / kidney salt balance too. Same for pH. Interesting how our body spends time in a balancing act.
- ekianjo 10y ago
  Carbon based expression is misleading as usual. Organic based life (i.e. based on carbon structure chemistry) is more accurate.