Nanoparticle exposures happen, says expertOctober 12, 2007In new blog and article, scientist tackles nanotechnology health and safety issues WASHINGTON, DC - Some nanotechnology fanciers suggest that, like proverbial birds of a feather, engineered nanoscale materials will flock - or clump - together. This tendency, they maintain, should reduce or eliminate risks as nanotechnology manufacturing increases and the number of nanotechnology-enabled products grows. Think again, cautions nanoparticle expert Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in a new article written for the United Kingdom's SAFENANO Initiative. Drawing on available scientific knowledge, Maynard disputes the claim that the so-called agglomeration of engineered nanomaterials will result in "super-sized" clusters so large that they cannot penetrate deep inside the body, thereby eliminating the potential for harm.
"Will people really be exposed to engineered nanomaterials"" Maynard writes. "Despite protestations to the contrary, the science says, yes. There is certainly no reason to believe that exposures will not occur to both individual nanoparticles and agglomerates of nanoparticles that present a nano-specific risk." The article - "Is Engineered Nanomaterial Exposure a Myth"" - can be found at the SAFENANO website at: http://www.safenano.org/ Maynard points out that, in addition to addressing questions about exposure, resolving concerns about potential health risks of nanotechnology also will require better understanding of the toxicity of nanomaterials - whether specific types of the materials are harmful or benign. The article is accompanied by the inaugural entry in Maynard's new blog on the SAFENANO Initiative website at: http://community.safenano.org/Blogs/. Both examine the current state of the science needed to answer questions about the potential environmental, health, and safety risks posed by nanotechnology - so that the benefits can be maximized. "Clearly, exposure to these materials will occur," Maynard explains in his blog entry. "The challenge we face is surely to snap out of denial, and start to ask what the nature of the exposures will be, and whether they will lead to harm." Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles Study shows direct link between leptin and obesity-related cardiovascular disease Obese people who don't have high cholesterol or diabetes might think they're healthy - despite the extra pounds. Researchers discover method for mass production of nanomaterial graphene Graphene is a perfect example of the wonders of nanotechnology, in which common substances are scaled down to an atomic level to uncover new and exciting possibilities. New small-scale generator produces alternating current by stretching zinc oxide wires Researchers have developed a new type of small-scale electric power generator able to produce alternating current through the cyclical stretching and releasing of zinc oxide wires encapsulated in a flexible plastic substrate with two ends bonded. Just Scratching the Surface: New Technique Maps Nanomaterials as They Grow Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a measurement technique that will help scientists and companies map nanomaterials as they grow. Denser computer chips possible with plasmonic lenses that 'fly' Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, are reporting a new way of creating computer chips that could revitalize optical lithography, a patterning technique that dominates modern integrated circuits manufacturing. McMaster University unveils world's most advanced microscope The most advanced and powerful electron microscope on the planet-capable of unprecedented resolution-has been installed in the new Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy at McMaster University. New research field promises radical advances in optical technologies A new research field called transformation optics may usher in a host of radical advances including a cloak of invisibility and ultra-powerful microscopes and computers by harnessing nanotechnology and "metamaterials." Researchers write protein nanoarrays using a fountain pen and electric fields Nanotechnology offers unique opportunities to advance the life sciences by facilitating the delivery, manipulation and observation of biological materials with unprecedented resolution. Nanotechnology boosts war on superbugs This week Nature Nanotechnology journal (October 12th) reveals how scientists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) at UCL are using a novel nanomechanical approach to investigate the workings of vancomycin, one of the few antibiotics that can be used to combat increasingly resistant infections such as MRSA. Nanoscopic screening process to speed drug discovery Researchers at Wake Forest University are using nanotechnology to search for new cancer-fighting drugs through a process that could be up to 10,000 times faster than current methods. More Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||