3 ms·
If you look up how asbestos damages the lungs, perhaps carbon nanotubes are something we wouldn't want to ingest. I can't say the effects would be remotely sim
by jwdunne 10y ago
If you look up how asbestos damages the lungs, perhaps carbon nanotubes are something we wouldn't want to ingest.
I can't say the effects would be remotely similar but:
- asbestos was considered safe (or some type of it). Used in pretty much everything.
- broken / agitated asbestos releases microscopic fibres into the air
- those fibres pierce the lining of the lungs leading to asbestosis and eventually a mesothelioma, a cancer with 0% chance of survival. This takes some time to present.
- took decades to realise what was going on and decades more to eliminate the problem, with many lives lost in the process.
I wonder if carbon nanotubes could damage in a similar damage over such a long timespan such that it takes decades to fully realise, regulate and eventually fix. After all, my garage roof is asbestos. Coincidentally, my grandfather died before I was born due to long term asbestos exposure.
- tossa 10y agoThe occupational hazards of working with carbon composites are already known to closely resemble those of asbestos. This is especially true for smaller scale operations utilizing hand layup and generally requiring more raw material handling and abrasive finishing steps.
- soperj 10y agoI think that's a great parallel. I didn't even think about inhaling them. I was thinking more about just the breakdown of the product they're in, and it eventually ending up in the water system.