Nanotube Health Risk

With a tensile strength ten times greater than steel at one quarter the weight, nanotubes are considered the strongest material for their weight known to man. This makes the miniscule carbon nanostructures invaluable to the burgeoning nanotechnology industry. However, recent research suggests that longer threads of the microscopic tubes mimic the toxic qualities of asbestos, which was recognized as a potent carcinogen and serious health hazard in the 1960s. When injected into the abdomens of mice, some nanotubes were found to trigger inflammation and lesion development. Inhaled into the lungs, they can lead to scar tissue formation and a thickening of the lung walls.