Carbon nanotubes get 'asbestos' warning

[Fat Tone]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7408705.stm

It's a long way off being confirmed but it looks like longer nanotubes could present a health risk to those working in their manufacture and disposal.

[Brian Ellis]

Any acicular suspended particle can cause alveolar damage, if they are small enough. Not all asbestos is dangerous: it depends on the particle size. Some grades of asbestos have fibre lengths that vary from ¼ to 2 or more mm and they are completely harmless. I certainly would not rule out dangers from any type of nanoparticle. In particular (pun intended) metallic nanoparticles present a risk from uptake via lungs, ingestion or through the skin because of their enormous surface area to mass ratio, making metabolic influences much more probable. IMO, such materials should be handled only in ventialted and filtered glove boxes, similar to those used in handling radioactive materials.