Today’s topic is nano stuff. Nanotechnology is the science of technology on a very small scale. For example, a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. As research and speculation progress with nanotechnology, the potential for scientific invention and danger is becoming a subject of conflict.
There appear to be divided camps on the subject of nanotubes;
- For
- Against
- Not sure but let’s continue with scientific inquiry
Want to see? Well you can’t. Nanomaterials are microscopic particles used in medicine, electronics, sporting goods, and even clothing. Law makers in the UK are saying nanomaterials need more safety testing and tighter regulation.
We have written about this before, when, earlier in 2008 Nature Nanotechnology journal published an article suggested that we have reason to be concerned with the long-term health effects of nanotubes (little rolled-up sheets of carbon) and that those effects would be similar to asbestos in that the longer tubes could lodge in the lungs and stay there.
In the UK, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution investigated nanomaterials and although it found no evidence of harm to either health or the environment from nanotechnology, it warned:
“The pace at which new nanomaterials are being developed and marketed is beyond the capacity of existing testing regulatory arrangements to control the potential environmental impacts adequately.”
The commission did not recommend a ban or moratorium on nanomaterials because each material had to be assessed on its merits. Sir John Lawton, the commission chairman, said there were particular concerns about three widely-used types of nanomaterial: nanosilver, carbon-60 and carbon nanofibers.
Nanoparticles of silver are incorporated into some clothing and laundry products because they suppress odor and kill germs. They also risk shutting down sewage systems by killing the bacteria needed to break down waste products, Sir John told a news conference in London.
Carbon nanotubes may harm the lungs in the same way as asbestos. “If I had to give advice to my family, I would say, ‘don’t wear spun nanofibres’,” he said.
Nanotechnology did not need a new regulatory regime, the commission decided. Instead, Europe’s existing regulatory system for chemicals, known as Reach, should be extended to encompass nanoparticles.
Andrew Maynard, chief scientist on the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC, said: “Despite repeated warnings, the establishment continues to lag behind emerging technologies.”
