EHP-in-Press Posts Article Regarding C60 Fullerenes and SWCNTs
On November 12, 2008, EHP-in-Press posted an article entitled “Oxidatively Damaged DNA in Rats Exposed by Oral Gavage to C60 Fullerenes and Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes.” According to the article, C60 fullerenes and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are expected to be used in medicine and consumer products with potential human exposure. The objective was to determine whether the hazardous effects of these particles involve oxidative stress with generation of oxidatively damaged DNA that might be the initiating event in the development of cancer. The authors concluded that oral exposure to low doses of C60 fullerenes and SWCNTs is associated with elevated levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine in the liver and lung, “which is likely to be caused by a direct genotoxic ability rather than an inhibition of the DNA repair system.” EHP-in-Press articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in Environmental Health Perspectives.