Carbon nanotubes found in lung cells of all asthma patients

[Dr Ho]

Carbon nanotubes are an allotrope of carbon in the form of
cylindrical molecules. They are extraordinarily strong and have
unique electrical properties. New research, conducted in France,
found man-made carbon nanotubes in human lungs for the first
time.

The scientists studied lung cells from 69 randomly selected
asthma patients aged two to 17 who receive routine fiber-optic
bronchoscopy as part of their treatment. Particulate matter was
found in the alveolar macrophage cells–the cells that prevent
foreign materials like particles and bacteria from entering the
lungs.

Further investigation showed that the particulate matter
consists of synthetic carbon nanotubes, similar to particles
found in exhaust pipes and in dust gathered from various places
around Paris. These samples align with what has been found
elsewhere, including in Houston, TX., India, and ice cores.

“We know that carbon nano particles are found in nature,” says
Lon Wilson, a chemist at Rice University, in a statement. He is
referring to fullerene molecules produced by volcanoes and
forest fires. “All you need is a little catalysis to make carbon
nanotubes instead of fullerenes.”

Wilson says the research does not conclude that nanotubes are
the cause of the children’s conditions, but that their apparent
ubiquity calls for further investigation.

“The concentrations of nanotubes are so low in these samples
that it’s hard to believe they would cause asthma, but you never
know,” says Wilson. “What surprised me was that carbon nanotubes
were the major component of the carbonaceous pollution we found
in the samples.”

The large surface areas of nanotubes and their ability to adhere
to substances may also make them effective carriers for other
pollutants.

“It’s kind of ironic. In our laboratory, working with carbon
nanotubes, we wear face masks to prevent exactly what we’re
seeing in these samples, yet everyone walking around out there
in the world probably has at least a small concentration of
carbon nanotubes in their lungs,” says Wilson.

The study‘s results suggest that humans are routinely exposed to
carbon nanotubes, and that the particles are likely to be found
in everybody. Previous studies have linked carbon content of
airway macrophages and the decline of lung function. The Rice
University lab intends to study the impact of man-made nanotubes
on health.

http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/2015/10/22/carbon-nanotubes-
found-lung-cells-asthma-patients/