PETA science group publishes a review on pulmonary effects of nanomaterials

A scientist from the PETA International Science Consortium Ltd. is the lead author of a review on pulmonary fibrosis that results from inhaling nanomaterials, which has been published in Archives of Toxicology. The coauthors are scientists from Health Canada, West Virginia University, and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

The increasing use of in consumer goods such as paint, building materials, and food products has increased the likelihood of human exposure. Inhalation is one of the most prominent routes by which exposure can occur, and because inhalation of nanomaterials may be linked to problems such as , testing is conducted to assess the safety of these materials.

The review is one part of the proceedings of a 2015 workshop organized by the PETA International Science Consortium, at which scientists discussed recommendations for designing an in vitro approach to assessing the toxicity of nanomaterials in the . The workshop also produced another report that was recently published in Archives of Toxicology (Clippinger et al. 2016) and a review published in Particle and Fibre Toxicology (Polk et al. 2016) on exposing nanomaterials to cells grown in vitro.

The expert recommendations proposed at the workshop are currently being used to develop an in vitro system to predict the development of in humans, which is being funded by the Science Consortium.

"International experts who took part in last year's workshop have advanced the understanding and application of non-animal methods of studying nanomaterial effects in the lung," says Dr. Monita Sharma, nanotoxicology specialist at the Consortium and lead author of the review in Archives of Toxicology. "Good science is leading the way toward more humane testing of nanomaterials, which, in turn, will lead to better protection of human health."

More information: Monita Sharma et al, Predicting pulmonary fibrosis in humans after exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Archives of Toxicology (2016). DOI: 10.1007/s00204-016-1742-7

Provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Citation: PETA science group publishes a review on pulmonary effects of nanomaterials (2016, May 26) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2016-05-peta-science-group-publishes-pulmonary.html
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