Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/73811
Some health care organizations, medical professionals and research scientists have expressed their concern that exposure to carbon black nanoparticles found in large quantity in tires may harm both lungs and the brain. In addition, engineered carbon nanotubes added to strengthen tires may be as harmful as breathing asbestos. Is artificial turf hiding an 800 pound gorilla? Could exposure and inhaling carbon black nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes found in pulverized tires and the tire crumb used on artificial turf fields be as harmful as breathing asbestos? I'm not a big fan of articles that pose a lot of questions and offer few, if any, answers. Listening to conspiracy theories, hearing "what if" scenarios, or reading articles that make unfounded claims and present mere speculation often do little more than ruffle the feathers of a few people and enrage others. The debate over the health and safety of synthetic turf fields has gone back and forth for years. Concerns about toxic metals, silica sand, staph infections, dangerously high surface temperatures, proper methods of disposal, etc., are just a few of the significant issues that have come under scrutiny. However, there are times when information comes to light that requires broader attention. Such is the case with a growing concern expressed by many health care professionals and research scientists regarding the possible health consequences of carbon black nanoparticles present in tires that make up tire crumb; the most common infill used on artificial turf fields. 1 2 Nanoparticles are particles less than 100 nanometers in diameter. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, about the size of six carbon atoms in a row. For comparison a human hair, is about 80,000 nanometers wide and a strand of DNA is two nanometers wide. To visualize it another way, a nanometer is to one inch as one inch is to 400 miles. Whether you are for or against artificial turf this subject is Carbon black nanoparticles make up 30% or more of car tires; the same tires that are pulverized for creating the tire crumb used on artificial turf playing fields and on playgrounds for children. Engineered carbon nanotubes and other engineered nanoparticles (zinc, titanium, etc.) are often made in specific shapes to give added strength and durability to tires and other goods. It is the long thin nature of engineered carbon nanotubes that has some scientists drawing a comparison between the possible IMPORTANT: There are different types of nanoparticles made of different building blocks and each type of nanoparticle can be unique in its actions and effects, and act differently in engineered products as well as in the body. It is true that frequent exposure to nanoparticles from many consumer products means some nanoparticles are getting into us. It is also true that cell studies suggest that some types of nanoparticles can damage the DNA or cause cell death in different parts of the body, such as the brain, the lungs or blood vessels. The term "nanoparticle" is not intended to apply to all nanoparticles but in this case carbon black nanoparticles. important; especially if you have children who play on artificial turf fields or visit playgrounds that use tire crumb for cushioning; or if you are a student or professional athlete who plays football, soccer, rugby, lacrosse or baseball on fields that use tire crumb as an infill. What follows are an examination of the issue from a number of perspectives... 3 4 health hazards of tire crumb with asbestos. In May of 2008 in an article by Larry Greenemeier for Scientific American he quoted one study that went so far as to suggest, "Inhaling carbon nanotubes could be as harmful as breathing asbestos." 5 The study Greenemier referenced was posted by Nature Nanotechnology led by the Queen's Medical Research Institute at the University of Edinburg/MRC Center for Inflammation Research in Scotland. Their research showed that long, needle-thin carbon nanotubes could lead to lung cancer and inhaling carbon nanotubes could be as harmful as breathing asbestos. A carbon nanotube is a carbon molecule that resembles a cylinder made out of chicken wire that is one to two nanometers in diameter by any number of millimeters in length. Nanotubes have a tensile strength 10 times greater than steel and they are considered the strongest material for their weight known to mankind. It should be noted that carbon black is a natural although manufactured material made up of carbon nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes are created/engineered by scientists and are much rarer although apparently highly toxic at low concentrations. The study suggested that inhaling carbon nanotubes could lead to the same cancer and breathing problems that prompted a ban on asbestos as insulation in buildings. The research scientists observed that long, thin carbon nanotubes look and behave like asbestos fibers, which have been shown to cause mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of the membrane lining the body's internal organs (particularly the lungs) and can take 30 to 40 years to appear following exposure. 1. Carbon Black is added during tire manufacturing and make up approximately 30% of the final product. 2. Millions of used tires are recycled to create tire crumb. 3. The New York State Department of Public Health reports that tire crumb pellets from tires range in size from about one-sixteenth to one-quarter at a rate of two to three pounds per square foot of field's surface. 4/5 Tire crumb is the most common infill on synthetic turf fields. Asbestos fibers are especially harmful, because they are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs yet too long for the body's immune system to destroy. Just how small are carbon nanotubes? They are no thicker than an atom, or one billionth of a meter Continued On Page 34