Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/73811
wide, or approximately 10,000 times smaller than a human hair. Andrew Maynard, the study's co- author and chief science advisor for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholar's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies based in Washington, D.C. has been researching and warning of the potential health and environmental risks of carbon nanotubes since 2003 and is quoted as saying there had been no coordinated effort to date to analyze the findings of carbon nanotube toxicity studies. Since the initial release of the MRC study other researchers have expressed their concerns as well. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported their research methods demonstrate that breathing nanoparticles may result in damaging health effects. NIOSH scientists invented a way to suspend nanotubes in the air so the concentration of particles could be carefully controlled. Mice were placed into a carefully controlled environment where they could breathe the air containing the particles. Scientists studied the effects of exposure after 1, 7, and 28 days. The research showed that carbon nanotubes were more potent when inhaled than when aspirated. In addition, the research showed early indications of serious health outcomes that may have longer term effects such as cancer, and therefore, ongoing research is important to more clearly understand the implications of exposure to carbon nanotubes. In May 2008, Nature Nanotechnology reported a similar finding, "Carbon nanotubes introduced into the abdominal cavity of mice show asbestos-like pathogenicity in a pilot study." The study reported, "Carbon nanotubes have distinctive characteristics, but their needle-like fiber shape has been compared to asbestos, raising concerns that widespread use of carbon nanotubes may lead to mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs similar to that caused by exposure to asbestos. Exposing the mesothelial lining of the body cavity of mice, as a surrogate for the mesothelial lining of the chest cavity, to long multi-walled carbon nanotubes results in asbestos-like, length-dependent, pathogenic behavior. This includes inflammation and the formation of lesions known government and by the World Health Organization. Then, carbon black used in tires consists of the purest, smallest (ultrafine) nanoparticles giving them a unique potential toxicity throughout the body. Perhaps neuroscientist, Dr. Kathleen Michels summarized it best: "Carbon black is the proverbial 800 pound gorilla in the room that no-one wants to talk about, or take notice of, but it has the potential to wreck everything in its path. First, It has been declared a possible carcinogen by the US "Normally this might not be a problem for any individual, since most of the carbon black is trapped inside a tire. However, when you pulverize tires for use in children's playing fields, whether done at ambient or cold temperatures- everything in them (including carbon black particles) becomes more available to interact with the environment and people since the surface area to volume * increases exponentially as you go from whole tire, to pulverized tire granule to the dust that becomes airborne with weathering and the impact of each child's footfall and body. Finally, the sheer concentrated volume of this pulverized carbon black material should get serious attention: tires are 30% or more carbon black so a 200 ton tire- crumb laden sports field contains around 60 TONS of carbon black. An unprecedented exposure that deserves serious attention and research. "But carbon black is not the only nanoparticle containing as granulomas. This is of considerable importance, because research and business communities continue to invest heavily in carbon nanotubes for a wide range of products under the assumption that they are no more hazardous than graphite. Our results suggest the need for further research and great caution before introducing such products into the market if long- term harm is to be avoided." Source: Nature Nanotechnology 3, 423 - 428 (2008) Published May 20, 2008 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.111. Peter Gehr, a professor of Histology (the study of tissue) and Anatomy at the University of Bern in Switzerland stated that synthetic nanoparticles can penetrate tissue and cells, and spread throughout the body – even to the brain. Gehr is astonished that potential health risks of synthetic nanoparticles are barely acknowledged outside the scientific world and government agencies. "If nanoparticles are not solidly bound to another material, there is a risk that we could inhale them. They can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the entire body.The mere fact that particles penetrate into the body is a problem." Source: Natural resources in Switzerland – Environment - Nanotechnology 3/20/2010, Federal Office for the Environment. Continued On Page 36 "Carbon black is the proverbial 800 pound gorilla in the room that no-one wants to talk about ..." component of tires. Engineered nanoparticles *such as carbon nanotubes, which may have asbestos like toxicity, are also being added to tires. But how much and to which tires is difficult to determine. Which highlights a main problem with tire crumb: the recipe of any *company's tires is proprietary so we never know exactly what the ingredients are for any individual tire much less a bag of tire crumb (and even less the 30,000 or so tires in a sports field!). Some schools which have tire crumb on fields or playgrounds close to their classrooms report a fine gray dust on school surfaces inside when windows are open. Most artificial turf fields with tire crumb are still relatively young. There is no evidence yet of long – term harm from this unprecedented , often chronic, exposure of children to carbon black or other tire components from playing on tire crumb ; but then again there are no studies on children exposed chronically to tire crumb over time. But there are worrying studies on exposure to carbon black particles in the air. Shouldn't we be asking the questions and following up on the exposed children with research?" -Dr. Kathleen Michels