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For the first time a study conducted on rats has found that
carbon nanoparticles can travel to the brain after being inhaled,
according to researchers. Nanoparticles are tiny lumps of
matter that could one day be used to build faster computer
circuits and improve drug delivery systems.
Tracking the progress of carbon particles that were 35 nanometers
in diameter, researchers detected nanoparticles in the brains
of rats a day after inhalation. They also found that the levels
of nanoparticles continued to rise until the seven-day experiment
was over. Researchers believed that the carbon nanoparticles
entered the brains of the rats by moving down the brain cells
that pick up odors and transmit signals to the olfactory bulb,
where the nanoparticles were found.
The fast movement of nanoparticles to the brain had raised
concerns from researchers who support nanotechnology, but
they also believed it could lead to a better understanding
of the health effects of nanosized particles produced by diesel
engines. The nanosized particles from the diesel engine are
believed to increase respiratory and cardiac problems, by
triggering an inflammatory reaction in the lungs. It has been
estimated that people who live in cities breathe in about
25 million of these nanoparticles with every breath taken.
Unfortunately, for now researchers know little about the
effect of nanoparticles when they reach the brain.
Nature
January 9, 2004
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