Nanotubes pose health risk, study shows

Tiny fibres used to strengthen items such as bike frames and hockey sticks could pose risks to workers who make them. Certain types of carbon nanotubes - cylindrical molecules about one-thousandth of the width of a human hair - could cause cancer in the lining of the lung, University research shows. The study in mice found short carbon nanotubes appear relatively harmless if they entered lung cavities. However, longer nanotubes were more likely to get stuck there and ultimately cause a type of cancer known as mesothelioma. Need for risk assessment. Researchers are looking at assessing the level of risk involved, for instance examining how many of the long fibres are present in the air at workplaces. The study was published in the American Journal of Pathology.