Asbestos-like nanotubes

Long nanotubes led to inflammation and lesions in mice

As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s reasonable to assume it’s a duck. In light of a new rodent study, environmental scientists worry that the same might apply to asbestos.

TROUBLING SIMILARITY The resemblance between asbestos fibers (top) and some carbon nanotubes (below) has fostered concerns that nanotubes might exhibit asbestos-like toxicity.