Toxicological Effects of Carbon Nanotubes

Introduction

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are proto-typical engineered nanomaterials that possess superior strength with minimal weight. CNTs also can be easily functionalized at the atomic level to enhance their properties for use in electronics, engineering, and biomedicine. While promising for many uses, the length and high tensile strength of CNTs also make them a potential risk for lung diseases and as well as other systemic sites of injury [Bonner 2010a]. The most likely route for human exposure is inhalation. A growing number of studies using rats or mice show that CNTs delivered to the lungs cause interstitial lung fibrosis, granuloma formation, or fibrogenic reactions at the pleura [Bonner 2011]. CNTs also exacerbate pre-existing respiratory disease and cause systemic effects in other organ systems such as heart and spleen [Thompson et al., 2013]. While rodent studies indicate that CNTs cause adverse pulmonary and systemic effects, there is currently no epidemiologic data demonstrating that CNTs cause disease in humans. This is likely due to the infancy of the nanotechnology industry and the long latency time for chronic lung diseases in humans. A major goal for investigators in the field of nanotoxicology is to better understand the adverse effects and mode of action for engineered nanomaterials in rodent models of disease in order to predict the risk for human disease.