Are products containing graphene safe? This is a surprisingly hard question to answer as it
depends on how the graphene is being used, and what type of graphene we're talking about. But it is an
extremely important one, as the material is finding its way into more and more products--including
items like face masks, where there's a chance of the graphene becoming detached and entering the body.
Fortunately there are some rules of thumb here to help decide what's okay to use, and what's
probably not. But before we get to them we need to talk about what graphene is and why people are
so interested in using it. Graphene is a form of carbon that's made from atomically thin sheets of
the element. The way the carbon atoms are arranged in these sheets profoundly affects, for instance,
the way that electrons pass through them; or how light and other forms of radiation interact with
them; how strong they are; and how they react with other substances. This makes graphene incredibly
versatile when it comes to designing new products with new and useful properties. But it also raises
questions around how to use the material safely. For instance, graphene can kill viruses and
bacteria that come into contact with it, if it's designed in the right way. This is great news for
products that need to be kept sterile. But what if these virus killing materials get into your body?
Will they do the same to your cells? the scientific jury is still out on this one--in part because
there are so many ways of tweaking graphene that it's hard to pin down whether a particular form
of it will be safe or not. However, we do know that if graphene-containing particles are able to get
into your body, if they're small enough to get to places where it's easy to cause a lot of damage--
into your lungs for instance or into your cells--and if they stick around once there, some forms
of it could cause harm. The problem is, it's hard to tell how much graphene might be needed to cause a
problem; whether any damage that occurs as a result will be mild or harsh; or if it'll be short-lived
or long-lasting. The good news is that there are indications that some forms of graphene may be
relatively safe--at least at low concentrations. But it really does depend on the size the shape
and the chemistry of any graphene-containing particles that get into your body, and where
they get to. Because of this, the following rules of thumb are useful for deciding whether you're going
to risk using a graphene-containing product or not. One: Can graphene be released from the product?
If it's hard to imagine this happening, for instance if the graphene is buried deep inside
your smartphone, you're probably okay. Two: if it can be released, how might you be exposed to it?
Getting the stuff on your skin is likely to be far less of an issue than if you end up eating it. And
both of these are likely to be far less worrying than the possibility of inhaling the material.
Three: If there is a chance you might be exposed to graphene--especially if you're breathing the stuff
in--how small are the particles? Particles larger than 10 micrometers or so in diameter, or around
a tenth of the width of a human hair, are likely to be less dangerous than smaller ones.
Four: If you're potentially exposed to graphene, how much stuff might you be exposed to?
As with everything, dose makes the poison when it comes to graphene--which means that
being exposed to really small amounts of the material might be okay. Five: Is there clear
evidence that the material is safe for use in the product you're using? If there isn't, don't
simply assume that someone else has done their due diligence here. And six: Do the benefits to you
of using the product substantially outweigh any potential risks? If not, you may want to hold off
on using that fancy graphene-containing product until the risk benefit balance looks a little
healthier. The bottom line is that graphene is a pretty cool material that has a lot
of potentially beneficial uses. But just because it's made of carbon, doesn't mean that it's safe.
And because of this, you should probably think twice about using graphene-containing products--
unless you're sure the risks are low or you think the benefits are worth it. For more information on
graphene safety, please do check out the links in the blur below. And as always, stay safe.