Carbon nanotubes, from exhaust pipes, have been discovered in young Parisians with asthma. These molecules are suspected of being at risk for health.
While Why actor publishes this morning a survey on the positive consequences for health of a “car-free Paris” (polluting), parents will no doubt be sensitive to the following article. In a study published in the journal EBioMedicine, French researchers reveal to have found carbon nanotubes in human lungs. A first of the most worrying.
Indeed, the team of Prof. Fathi Moussa of the University of Paris-Saclay (Essonne) analyzed the airway cells of 64 asthmatic children, girls and boys, aged 2 months to 17 years. All lived in the Paris region between 2007 and 2011.
The same as in the exhaust
As a result, the scientists found carbon nanotubes in the 64 samples! More worryingly, in five children, they also found it in the alveolar macrophages (immune cells) of the lungs.
Importantly, these nanoparticles, or ultrafine particles, found in the lungs of Parisian children are similar to those present in the exhaust gases of Parisian vehicles.
Potential health risks
In comments reported by The echoes, Prof. Moussa explains that “if carbon nanotubes are not directly toxic, they have a large surface to which a wide variety of substances can cling: from gases and metals to larger or smaller molecules. », He specifies.
And he adds that “given their small size, nanotubes can easily be absorbed by the body. So if a polluting substance clings to it, it benefits from the trip to the lungs and can even cross cell membranes, ”he concludes.
Finally, the site WatchNanos recalls that several studies have shown a link between exposure to nanoparticles and mortality: long-term exposure to them would increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, diabetes and lung cancer; Exposure to it in the short term could exacerbate or promote the onset of respiratory diseases such as asthma.
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