A new study by researchers at the US Environmental Protection Agency’s research laboratories in North Carolina has found that nano particles used in some sun creams have the potential to cause neurological damage.
A new study by researchers at the US Environmental Protection Agency’s research laboratories in North Carolina has found that nano particles used in some sun creams have the potential to cause neurological damage.
The study examined the effect of nanoparticles of titania (titanium oxide) on cultures of mice cells called microglia, which protect neurons in the brain from harm. It found that the particles provoke the cells to manufacture chemicals that are protective in the short term but potentially damaging when released in the prolonged manner seen in the experiments.
The research does not necessarily imply that these microscopic grains, which are also used in consumer products such as some toothpastes and cosmetics, are harmful in the human body. But it adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests that their safety cannot be taken for granted simply because larger particles of the same substance have no ill effects.
For the full story and reference, visit http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060612/full/060612-14.html
