NANOPARTICLES CAN CAUSE CANCER

Status: September 25, 2017, 12:04 pm

Nanoparticles - they make our teeth shine, car paint and chocolate shine, impregnate our outdoor clothes and let the instant coffee trickle. And they can penetrate our cells and cause cancer.

Nano - the word has something of a promise. Super-small nanocomputers will one day be able to control the technology and use little space and energy; nanomedicine will make us healthy because it can be used with pinpoint accuracy; and nanofood will bring food without regret because the small parts produce a lot of pleasure without the large amounts of sugar or fat. Is there also a downside? Yes, say environmental experts. Because artificial nanoparticles that enter our bodies can destroy the cells.

"It has already been established that when nanoparticles are inhaled, they cause inflammatory reactions in the lungs."  Rolf Buschmann, Speaker Technical Environmental Protection, BUND 3sat, nano

Example impregnation spray. The nanoparticles float in the air for a long time and can thus be inhaled. Actually, the lungs filter out pollutants and we then cough them up, but this is not always successful with the small particles. If they penetrate the cell walls, they can lead to inflammation of the cells. "And inflammatory structures in cells often lead to cancer," said Rolf Buschmann from BUND. Researchers at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are investigating which nanoparticles are particularly dangerous. In addition to size, the shape of the nanoparticles is the main factor determining their effect.

"With very thin fibres we are just learning that they curl up in the cell like cooked spaghetti and can be cleaned like dust." Rolf Pankroff, Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 3sat, nano

More dangerous are the rigid particles. They can even puncture cell walls. And we encounter nanoparticles everywhere, not only in impregnation sprays. Soon they could be stuck in our car tires as needle-shaped carbon nanotubes. Researchers fear that the abrasion in the air will end up in our lungs through respiration. Nanoparticles ensure that bag soups do not clump together, chewing gum glows white and chocolate shines.

"One must always ask oneself the question: what happens to it in the organism? This is why we are particularly sceptical." Rolf Buschmann, Technical Environmental Protection Officer, BUND 3sat, nano

Is the skepticism justified? Researchers know that nanoparticles can penetrate the stomach wall and spread throughout the body via the bloodstream. They have already been detected in the liver, spleen and sexual organs. And it is not yet known whether the nanoparticles react with harmless substances and could therefore become a problem. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is currently investigating this.

"What happens when we take in nanoparticles - for example with chocolate - and eat other food, an apple, or bread afterwards. Are the nanoparticles changed then?" Alfonso Lampen, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment 3sat, nano

The answer to this very question is still pending. Environmental experts like Buschmann therefore recommend restricting the use of nanoparticles. Better use vinegar cleaner instead of cleaning sprays, or pump sprays instead of classic spray cans for impregnation. The EU regulation to label nano in food has officially been in place since 2014. However, these regulations can be circumvented relatively easily. For example, an additive is only considered nano if more than 50 percent of the particles are nano-sized.

"As a consumer, you currently have no chance of recognising a food product that contains nanomaterials." Rolf Buschmann, BUND 3sat, nano

This has apparently also been noticed by the EU authorities. Because the regulations are to be tightened by the end of 2017.

Translated Version - Original here