Type of buckyball shown to cause brain damage in fish
Date: Monday, March 29 @ 09:03:04 PST

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 28 — Researchers have found that a type of buckyball—a carbon nanoparticle that shows promise for electronic, commercial and pharmaceutical uses — can cause significant brain damage in fish. The small preliminary study, the first to demonstrate that nanoparticles can cause toxic effects in an aquatic species, could point to potential risks in people exposed to the particles, they say. The study was described today at the 227th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

"There are many potential benefits of nanotechnology, but its hazards and risks are poorly understood. This study gives us additional cause for concern," says study leader Eva Oberdörster, Ph.D., an environmental toxicologist with Southern Methodist University in Dallas.