Researchers are the first to detect carbon nanotubes in the human body.

French researchers discovered carbon nanotubes from the lungs of children living in Paris, the first time carbon nanotubes were detected in the human body.

Due to its superior toughness, light weight and good electrical conductivity, carbon nanotubes have shown great potential in applications such as computers, clothing, and healthcare. However, mouse experiments have shown that injection of carbon nanotubes can cause an immune response similar to that caused by asbestos, which raises some doubts about the use of carbon nanotubes.

To this end, Fatih Moussa of the University of Sacramento in Paris and his colleagues conducted research. According to a report on the website of New Scientist magazine on the 20th, they analyzed samples of tracheal fluids in 64 children with asthma, and found carbon nanotubes in all samples; and macrophages in the lungs of five other children. In the middle, there are also carbon nanotubes.

The levels of carbon nanotubes in the lungs of these children and their sources are not known, although the team found similar structures in dust and car exhaust samples collected in Paris.

Moussa pointed out that even though carbon nanotubes are not directly toxic, they have a large surface area and other molecules tend to adhere, which may help the pollutants penetrate the lungs and pass through the cell membrane. He said that although their research aims not to find out the relationship between the presence of carbon nanotubes in the lungs and the diseases of these children, asthma patients may be particularly vulnerable because of the presence of carbon nanotubes because of their The ability of phagocytes to clear "garbage" is impaired.

James Bonner of North Carolina State University said that carbon nanotubes should be treated with caution, as other studies on air pollution have not found carbon nanotubes for years. In his view, these structures, especially the substances in the patient's lung cells, are still very uncertain.

As for the potential health effects, Jonathan Grieg of Queen Mary College, University of London, UK, believes that carbon nanotubes may not have the carcinogenic potential of asbestos fibers because asbestos fibers are larger and tend to be trapped in lung tissue. He pointed out that even if people inhale carbon nanotubes, it is nothing new, there may be carbon nanotubes in fossil fuels, and more research is still needed.

The chemical molecular structure of carbon nanotubes is somewhat similar to the confirmed carcinogen asbestos, and the size of carbon nanotubes is only one percent of PM2.5, which easily enters the lungs. However, workers who are only engaged in the manufacture of related industries for a long time need to guard against this danger. It is unbelievable that ordinary people, especially children, find carbon nanotubes in their bodies. Researchers should determine their source as soon as possible. According to US regulations, the eight-hour exposure limit of carbon nanotubes in the factory can't exceed 1 microgram per cubic meter. It is really scary if daily air pollution can cause this abnormality in children's lungs.

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