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This article was originally published by the National Nanomanufacturing Network's "InterNano" project (www.internano.com).  It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.

A recent study published in the well-known medical journal, the European Respiratory Journal, has been receiving significant publicity as the authors have claimed their findings support an apparent linkage between workplace exposures to nanoparticles and severe respiratory disease. Specifically, in this study, investigators at China's Capital University of Medical Science related unusual and progressive lung disease in seven Chinese workers, two of whom died, to nanoparticle exposures in a print plant where a polyacrylic ester paste containing nanoparticles was used. This linkage was made by the study investigators despite a general lack of exposure data for the workers. 
 

The complete review is after the jump . . .

Reviewed by Christopher M. Long, Sc.D., and Barbara D. Beck, Ph.D., DABT, FATS, Gradient

• Song Y, Li X, Du X. 2009. Exposure to nanoparticles is related to pleural effusion, pulmonary fibrosis and granuloma. Eur Respir J. 34(3):559-67.  DOI:10.1183/09031936.00178308.

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Earlier today, the Guardian printed a letter from the Soil Association criticizing the paper's nanotechnology supplement appearing last Thursday.  The letter cites the Song study from China as more evidence supporting its call for a moratorium on nanoscale materials along with "nano-free" standards, which we have previously covered.  Key statements from the letter follow:

"Seven women working in a factory [in China] where nanoparticles were used in paint fell ill with serious lung disease and two died. Researchers . . . found nanoparticles deep in the lungs of the women . . . A chemical in the paint, the patients' lung tissue and the liquid surrounding the lungs were all found to contain nanoparticles."

"There should be an immediate freeze on the commercial release of nanomaterials until there is a sound body of scientific research into all the health impacts."

The letter does not attempt to explain any of the severe criticism the Song article has received by most main stream scientists, and is a good example of bad science put to a questionable use.

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