Baby Safety / Compounds / Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene)

Is Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) safe for babies and kids?

Context-dependent for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene), potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

What is fullerene c60 (buckminsterfullerene)?

The IUPAC name is (C60-Ih)[5,6]fullerene.

Also known as: (C60-Ih)[5,6]fullerene, Fullerene, Fullerenes, Buckyballs.

IUPAC name
(C60-Ih)[5,6]fullerene
CAS number
99685-96-8
Molecular formula
C60
Molecular weight
720.6 g/mol
SMILES
C12=C3C4=C5C6=C1C7=C8C9=C1C%10=C%11C(=C29)C3=C2C3=C4C4=C5C5=C9C6=C7C6=C7C8=C1C1=C8C%10=C%10C%11=C2C2=C3C3=C4C4=C5C5=C%11C%12=C(C6=C95)C7=C1C1=C%12C5=C%11C4=C3C3=C5C(=C81)C%10=C23
PubChem CID
123591

Risk for babies

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene), potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene), potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: None, 0 positive / 2 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: None, 0 positive / 2 negative reports)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter fullerene c60 (buckminsterfullerene)

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene):

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain fullerene c60 (buckminsterfullerene)?

Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Fullerene C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) in the baby app

Look up products containing fullerene c60 (buckminsterfullerene), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR): Final Opinion on the Safety of Nanomaterials in Food — Nano-CeO2 as diesel fuel additive (Eolys); biopersistent lung particle; NTP 2-year inhalation bioassay lung tumors at high dose; redox-active antioxidant/pro-oxidant dual behavior (2015) (2015) — regulatory
  2. NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin 65: Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers — REL 1 μg/m³ elemental carbon; C60 fullerene comparative toxicology; spherical morphology vs fiber pathogenesis; biopersistence; engineering controls (2013) (2013) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →