Graphenea’s graphene oxide declared safe and non-toxic
Our graphene oxide (GO) has been tested against toxicity standards, has successfully passed all tests and has been declared non-toxic.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization that has established chemical safety and biosafety tests by which substances can be tested and certified. Our GO has passed tests number 476 In Vitro Mammalian Cell Gene Mutation Tests using the HPRT and XPRT genes, 487 In Vitro Mammalian Cell Micronucleus Test, and 489 In Vivo Mammalian Alkaline Comet Assay.
Test number 476 confirms that the test substance, in this case the GO, does not cause genetic mutations. The test is performed by in vitro mammalian cell gene mutation testing. Test number 487 affirms that there is no toxicity of the GO, by confirming that there are no tiny parts of the chemical, called micronuclei, remaining in live cells that have been exposed to the chemical during cell division. Finally, test number 489 quantifies the number of DNA cell breaks in live animals being given graphene oxide, in critical organs such as the liver, the kidney, and in other tissues. All three tests had negative results, showing that the GO is non-toxic.
Although a number of scientific articles have shown that graphene and its derivatives can be toxic under certain conditions, others have determined that toxicity depends on a number of factors such as particle size, surface structure, functionalization, charge, impurities, and others. It is thus of paramount importance that each specific graphene product undergoes toxicity testing, to ensure that it does no harm to living beings. We are proud that Graphenea’s GO has fulfilled this requirement by passing internationally recognized toxicity tests and achieving the non-toxic result.
