May just carbon fiber inflict the similar more or less harm at the human frame as asbestos? That’s the query which [Nathan] discovered himself suffering with after looking at carbon fiber-reinforced filament underneath a microscope, revealing a sight that brings to thoughts fibrous asbestos samples. Making an allowance for the completely scary have an effect on that asbestos publicity could have, it is a utterly pertinent query to invite. Thankfully, medical research have already been carried out in this matter.
Whilst [Nathan] demonstrated that the small lengths of carbon fiber (CF) contained in some FDM filaments like to get caught for your pores and skin and stay there even after washing one’s fingers time and again, the side that makes asbestos one of these danger is that the mineral fibers are simply respirable because of their measurement. It’s this belongings which permits asbestos fibers to nestle deep within the lungs, the place they pierce cellular membranes and purpose sustained irritation, DNA harm and all too regularly lung most cancers or worse.
Obviously, the 0.5 to one mm sized CF strands in FDM filaments aren’t simply inhaled, however as described by way of [Jing Wang] and co-workers in a 2017 Magazine of Nanobiotechnology paper, CF can simply shatter into smaller, sharper fragments thru mechanical operations (slicing, sanding, and many others.) which can also be respirable. It’s thus broken carbon fiber, whether or not from CF strengthened thermal polymers or different CF-containing fabrics, that poses a possible well being possibility. This isn’t in contrast to asbestos — which when solid in-situ poses no possibility, however can create respirable clouds of fibers when disturbed. When dealing with CF-containing fabrics, particularly for processing, dressed in an efficient respirator (no less than N95/P2) this is rated for filtering out asbestos fibers would thus appear to be a sensible precaution.
The treacherous side of asbestos and family members is that illnesses like lung most cancers and mesothelioma don’t seem to be in an instant noticeable after publicity, however can take many years to expand. In terms of mesothelioma, this can also be between 15 and 30 years after publicity, so protective your self as of late with a just right respirator is the one method you’ll be able to be somewhat positive that you are going to now not be cursing your overconfident younger self by way of that point.
