Safety of graphene and related materials: human health and the environment

As the commercialization of graphene continues, it is important that all aspects of safety are thoroughly researched and understood. The flagship graphene project includes a dedicated work program that examines the impact of graphene and related materials on our health, as well as their impact on the environment. This allows security from the moment of design to become a central element of innovation.

Research and companies are currently using a range of materials, including layered graphene, graphene oxide, and heterostructures. The first step in badessing toxicology is to completely characterize these materials. This work reviews the methods of production and characterization, and considers different materials whose biological effects depend on their inherent properties.

"One of the key messages is that this family of materials has variable properties, thus displaying varied biological effects.It is important to emphasize the need not only for a systematic badysis of graphene-based materials well. characterized, but also of the importance of using standardized in vitro or in vivo tests for safety badessment, "said Bengt Fadeel, lead author of this paper, at Karolinska Institutet, Graphene's partner Flagship, Sweden.

"This review correlates physicochemical characteristics of graphene and related materials with biological effects, and a clbadification based on lateral dimensions, number of layers, and carbon / oxygen ratio allows us to describe the parameters likely to be present in the graph. to alter the toxicology of graphene, the development and use of these materials ", explains Alberto Bianco, a partner of the Graphene Flagship CNRS (France) and vice-president of the Graphene Flagship working group on health and the environment.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of graphene's impact on health and the environment, highlighting the potential interactions of graphene-based materials with key target organs. : immune system, skin, lungs, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, central nervous system and reproductive system. , as well as many other organisms, including bacteria, algae, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates belonging to various ecosystems.

"We can not draw conclusions from previous work on other carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes and extrapolate them to graphene.Graphene-based materials are less cytotoxic than carbon nanotubes and the Graphene oxide is easily degradable by the cells of the immune system, "says Fadeel.

Andrea C. Ferrari, Graphene Flagship Scientific and Technology Officer and Chair of its Executive Committee, added that "understanding the potential impacts of graphene and related materials on health and the environment has been at the heart of all Graphene's flagship activities since day one is a solid guide to the safe use of these materials, an essential step towards their widespread use, as set out in our Innovation and Technology Roadmap. "

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The Graphene Flagship was launched by the European Union in 2013 as part of its largest research initiative to date. With a budget of 1 billion euros, it represents a new form of joint and coordinated research initiative. The main objective of the flagship graphene project is to transfer graphene and related materials from the field of university laboratories to European society, facilitating economic growth and creating new jobs. Through an academic and industrial consortium of more than 150 partners in more than 20 European countries, the research effort spans the entire value chain, from materials production to system and component integration, and aims to number of specific objectives exploiting the unique properties of graphene and related materials.

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