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Nanotechnology: Learning from past mistakes
July 22, 2008Nanotech's success depends on addressing safety questions
Washington, DC - A new expert analysis in Nature Nanotechnology questions whether industry, government and scientists are successfully applying lessons learned from past technologies to ensure the safe and responsible development of emerging nanotechnologies.
The study applies the 12 "late lessons from early warnings," published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in 2001, to the emerging field of nanotechnology. EEA's "lessons" are drawn from case studies that include the introduction of ozone-damaging halocarbons and of environmentally persistent and toxic PCBs.
The authors of this latest study, who include Steffen Foss Hansen of the Technical University of Denmark and Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Chief Science Advisor Andrew Maynard, conclude that while the nanotechnology community is doing some things right, "we are still in danger of repeating old, and potentially costly, mistakes."
"Despite a good start, nanotechnology commercialization appears hampered and diverted because many of the same government organizations responsible for promoting nanotechnology also are responsible for regulating it. Risk research strategies are weak and not leading to clear answers to critical safety questions and to filling clear knowledge gaps. Collaborations on risk research, environment and health monitoring, and 'green' applications are hindered by disciplinary and institutional barriers. Most importantly, stakeholders and the public are not being fully engaged," according to lead author Hansen.
"Nanotechnology is all about looking to the future-solving new challenges with new science," says Maynard. "But if it is to succeed, we also need to look back and heed the lessons of the past. And those lessons are clear-work with foresight, honesty and humility; be grounded in reality; and listen to people. We still have a chance to get it right with nanotechnology. But we are not there yet."
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
The authors of this latest study, who include Steffen Foss Hansen of the Technical University of Denmark and Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Chief Science Advisor Andrew Maynard, conclude that while the nanotechnology community is doing some things right, "we are still in danger of repeating old, and potentially costly, mistakes."
"Despite a good start, nanotechnology commercialization appears hampered and diverted because many of the same government organizations responsible for promoting nanotechnology also are responsible for regulating it. Risk research strategies are weak and not leading to clear answers to critical safety questions and to filling clear knowledge gaps. Collaborations on risk research, environment and health monitoring, and 'green' applications are hindered by disciplinary and institutional barriers. Most importantly, stakeholders and the public are not being fully engaged," according to lead author Hansen.
"Nanotechnology is all about looking to the future-solving new challenges with new science," says Maynard. "But if it is to succeed, we also need to look back and heed the lessons of the past. And those lessons are clear-work with foresight, honesty and humility; be grounded in reality; and listen to people. We still have a chance to get it right with nanotechnology. But we are not there yet."
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News RSSThe gold standard: Biodesign Institute researchers use nanoparticles to make 3-D DNA nanotubes
Arizona State University researchers Hao Yan and Yan Liu imagine and assemble intricate structures on a scale almost unfathomably small. Their medium is the double-helical DNA molecule, a versatile building material offering near limitless construction potential.
Researchers make breakthrough in the production of double-walled carbon nanotubes
In recent years, the possible applications for double-walled carbon nanotubes have excited scientists and engineers, particularly those working on developing renewable energy technologies.
Study on cytotoxicity of carbon nanotubes
Owing to the novel properties of carbon nanotubes (CBNs), a series of problems associated with in vitro toxicity assessments of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have appeared in many literatures.
Pitt, NETL researchers report molecular chain reaction thought to be impossible
People said it couldn't be done, but researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Pittsburgh demonstrated a molecular chain reaction on a metal surface, a nanoscale process with sizable potential in areas from nanotechnology to developing information storage technology.
New studies reveal differing perceptions of nature-altering science
Two new National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored research studies say public acceptance of the relatively new, nature-altering science of nanotechnology isn't a foregone conclusion. Instead, the studies indicate continued concern.
Oregon theory may help design tomorrow's sustainable polymer
Tomorrow's specialty plastics may be produced more precisely and cheaply thanks to the apparently tight merger of a theory by a University of Oregon chemist and years of unexplained data from real world experiments involving polymers in Europe.
People in the US and the UK show strong similarities in their attitudes toward nanotechnologies
The results of a new U.S.-U.K. study published in this week's journal Nature Nanotechnology show that ordinary people in both countries hold very positive views of nanotechnologies and what the future of these technologies might bring.
New polymer coatings prevent corrosion, even when scratched
Imagine tiny cracks in your patio table healing by themselves, or the first small scratch on your new car disappearing by itself. This and more may be possible with self-healing coatings being developed at the University of Illinois.
New Hybrid Nanostructures Detect Nanoscale Magnetism
A key challenge of nanotechnology research is investigating how different materials behave at lengths of merely one-billionth of a meter. When shrunk to such tiny sizes, many everyday materials exhibit interesting and potentially beneficial new properties.
'Strained' quantum dots show new optical properties
Quantum dots, tiny luminescent particles made of semiconductors, hold promise for detecting and treating cancer earlier. However, if doctors were to use them in humans, quantum dots could have limitations related to their size and possible toxicity.
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