23 August 2012 Last updated at 22:27 ET <\/p>\n
Inhaling tiny fibres made by the nanotechnology industry could cause similar health problems to asbestos, say researchers. <\/p>\n
Some are similar in shape to asbestos fibres, which have caused lung cancers such as mesothelioma. <\/p>\n
Research on mice, published in Toxicology Sciences, suggests the longer nanofibres are more dangerous. <\/p>\n
Human and mouse lungs are different, but the researchers hope the study will help to design safer nanofibres. <\/p>\n
Nanofibres are in a range of goods, from airplane wings to tennis rackets. <\/p>\n
Ken Donaldson, professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, said: \"Concern has been expressed that new kinds of nanofibres being made by nanotechnology industries might pose a risk because they have a similar shape to asbestos.\" <\/p>\n
Silver nanofibres of varying lengths were injected into the lungs of mice. <\/p>\n
Those larger than five micrometres, or five-thousandths of a millimetre, tended to become lodged in the lungs and cause inflammation. The smaller ones were cleared from the lungs. <\/p>\n
Prof Donaldson said: \"We knew that long fibres, compared with shorter fibres, could cause tumours, but until now we did not know the cut-off length at which this happened. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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