Over the course of the past year, new reports have revealed the asbestos-like qualities of carbon nanotubes and their potential ability to cause mesothelioma (a cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure).

However, the research is by no means conclusive. One insurance company, Continental Western Insurance Group, has responded by saying they will exclude coverage of nanotechnology starting in November. The company’s reason for this is due to the “Unknown and unknowable risks created by the products and processes that involved nanotubes.”

The statement from the insurance company says, “Reports have raised concerns regarding health risks from workers that may be inhaling carbon nanotubes during the manufacture of certain products. The carbon nanotubes resemble asbestos fibers in appearance, raising the concern that they may cause illness similar to that linked to asbestos.”

CWG plans to attach a nanotube exclusion to all policy issues for business owners, motor carriers, and other various insurance products. The company has also called for further research into the possible long-term consequences of being exposed to nanotubes.

The result of current research is far from being conclusive. One study showed nanotubes caused lesions similar to those caused by asbestos, but involved the implantation of nanotube fibers into experimental rats. Another study suggested that only carbon nanotubes of a particular long, thin, shape have the potential to cause malignant mesothelioma.

Some believe CWG is just trying to save money by using the word “asbestos” as a trigger-word and relating it to carbon nanotubes. Insurance companies in the past have paid out big money due to asbestos-related claims concerning asbestosis, lung cancer, and pleural mesothelioma.

The EPA, as well as other environmental groups, are concerned about the possible consequences of the use of nanotechnology. However, Vicki Colvin, director of the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, says the potential benefits of carbon nanotubes are simply too powerful to ignore.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 13th, 2008 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.