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I am concerned about all kinds of nanowires. If they are sufficiently strong, they should be able to damage your lungs in the exact same way that asbestos does.
by btilly 2y ago
I am concerned about all kinds of nanowires. If they are sufficiently strong, they should be able to damage your lungs in the exact same way that asbestos does.
Not through a chemical reaction, but a mechanical process that damages cells. The damage makes it easier to mutate. Which creates a long-term potential for cancer.
Silver nanowires should not be as strong as carbon nanotubes. But are they stronger than cell walls? If so, the potential exists for the same kind of harm as asbestos. Will we only learn whether it happens in practice only after they are widely used?
- SkyPuncher 2y agoAsbestos is dangerous because it will not decompose in your body.
- throwaway290 2y agoNeither will silver.
- mrcartmeneses 2y agoDo you mean cell membranes? Animals such as humans do not have cell walls outside of their cell membranes like many bacteria, plants, fungi etc.
- btilly 2y agoI do, thanks for the correction. Asbestos gets into our lungs, winds up poking us, and does a lot of damage on the way out. If it ever gets out. Some fibers can get stuck for years. It's entirely mechanical. Any strong enough fiber of a similar size and shape will create the same class of problems.
- throwaway290 2y agoDo you know any way of testing for asbestos at home (outside of US so can't send a sample anywhere and don't know any labs in the area if there even are any)?