Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are already used in industry.
They have a fibrous structure that resembles that of asbestos. A team from University ofTrieste, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, University of Turin, Elettra (Italy) and ESRF has studied both materials at the ESRF’s beamline ID21 and Elettra and has found that the presence of iron impurities in CNTs causes an asbestos-like toxicity in pleural cells. The scientists publish their results in Scientific Reports today.
>Read more on the ESRF website
Image: An artistic impression of a carbon nanotube.
Credits: Model.la.