Nanotechnologies will fuel the next industrial revolution and change the way we live, according to the experts. Research and development on Nanotechnologies is on the rise in pursuit of the next novel and useful things, and as factory productions soar, little is being done to ensure the safety of the public and the environment.
Nanotechnologies are expected to capture $1 trillion global market within the next decade, according to the National Science Foundation.
"The U.S. invests approximately $3 billion annually in nanotechnology research and development, which accounts for approximately one-third of total public and private sector nanotechnology investments worldwide," according to a July 19 press release from Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
Nanotechnologies offer tremendous potential benefits in enhancing almost every industrialized product: computers, cars, clothes, food, medicine, batteries, and much more.
The question is increasingly being raised: Are they safe?
"A growing number of scientific studies and government reports warn that engineered nanoparticles could pose unique risks to human health and the environment, yet few toxicological studies have been done," according to a recent report, Vital Signs 2006-2007 , from Worldwatch Institute.
What Are Nanotechnologies?
Nanotechnologies involve a wide array of techniques to control the arrangement of matter at the level of atoms and molecules. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, the width of 10 hydrogen atoms laid side by side; a human hair is about 80,000 nanometers thick. It is hard to contemplate anything so tiny, much less conceive of it in a manufacturing process.
At such a microscopic level, matter does not behave as it would in our everyday experience of the world where classical Newtonian physics rules.
In the nano-world, "properties of matter are governed by a complex and rich combination of classical physics and quantum mechanics," according to January, 2006 exclusive online edition of Scientific American .
Also, in large quantities, tiny nano-materials can have great potency from their dramatically increased surface area to volume ratio.
"As particle size decreases and reactivity increases, a substance that may be inert at the micro or macroscale can assume hazardous characteristics at the nanoscale," according to Vital Signs 2006-2007 .
Risks and Oversight
"The complexity of engineered nanomaterials means that their impact will depend on more than chemistry alone... the microscopic size alone of nanoparticles might allow them to more easily enter and affect human organs… the fact that nanoscale materials can have unusual properties – properties that do not conform to 'conventional' physics and chemistry – may influence the potential for risks," said Andrew D. Maynard, Ph.D.
"[W]hile billions are being invested by government and industry to quickly capitalize on the commercial potential of nanotechnology, there seems to be little interest in uncovering and exploring potential risks," said Maynard.
"[R]esearchers are unsure about how to work safely with new nanomaterials, nano-businesses are uncertain about how to develop safe products, and public confidence in these emerging applications is in danger of being undermined," according to David Rejeski, Director of Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies .
International coordination is essential, says Maynard: "Ways of coordinating research activities, sharing costs and exchanging information between countries and economic regions should be explored."
Maynard points out that industry has business goals to sell products and their research is not always made public. "The most viable alternative to an industry led strategic research framework is a government-led framework," said Maynard.
Andrew Maynard is Chief Science Advisor of Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies , which is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Pew Charitable Trusts in 2005. He authored and presented a new report, Nanotechnology: A Research Strategy for Addressing Risk , in July 19 at Washington, D.C. (http://www.nanotechproject.org)
The federal government, however, is not doing nearly enough, according to the report.
"[G]overnment's research into the environmental, safety and health implications of nanotechnology lacks strategic direction and coordination… This report is a first attempt to offer a blueprint for systematically exploring the potential risks of nanotechnology," said Rejeski.
The report calls for two major changes: "(1) A shift in leadership and funding for risk research to federal agencies that have a clear mandate for oversight… (2) An estimated minimum federal investment of $100 million over the next two years devoted to highly relevant, targeted risk-based research," said Rejeski.
Nevertheless, "[u]ncertainties about risks to human health and the environment exist and will likely continue to exist", said Julia Moore, Deputy Director of Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies .
Social and Ethical Issues
Serious issues are not confined to health and safety: the broader social and ethical implications of nanotechnologies need to be addressed, according to Vital Signs 2006-2007 .
"[I]t is the pursuit of profits that is fueling the nanotech revolution – not human development needs… When the root problems are poverty and social injustice, new technology is never the silver bullet," according to Vital Signs .
Gary Feuerberg, Washington, D.C. staff, contributed to this report.
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