Nanofibre health risk quantified
11 Sep 2012
Health risks posed to people who work with tiny fibres used in manufacturing industries could be reduced, thanks to new research.
Research into the health risks posed by nanofibres, used to strengthen objects from tennis rackets to airplane wings, has pinpointed the lengths at which these fibres are harmful to the lungs.
"Concern has been expressed that new kinds of nanofibres being made by nanotechnology industries might pose a risk because they have a similar shape to asbestos," Ken Donaldson, professor of respiratory toxicology
Nanofibres, which can be made from a range of materials including carbon, are about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and can reach the lung cavity when inhaled.
This may lead to a cancer known as mesothelioma, which is known to be caused by breathing in asbestos fibres, which are similar to nanofibres.
Length of fibres
The University study found that lung cells were not affected by short fibres that were less than five-thousandths of a millimetre long.
