March 29, 2004 — A university study has found that nanoparticles can cause brain damage in fish.
The small, preliminary study, led by Southern Methodist University lecturer Eva Oberdorster, found rates of brain damage 17 times higher in largemouth bass exposed to a form of water-soluble buckyballs than unexposed fish. The concentration of nanoparticles used in the 48-hour laboratory study were .5 parts per million.
Oberdorster said in a written statement that the current study is believed to be the first to show that the particles can cause brain damage, but researchers have not performed human studies. She said she plans studies to determine how the buckyballs can get into the fishes’ bodies and cause damage.
Kevin Ausman, executive director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University, said in an e-mail it would be irresponsible to comment too strongly until the work has passed peer review. He also said it’s not conclusive whether the effects seen in the study were from the nanomaterial or a contaminant.
The study was presented Sunday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif.