Home > Press > New Blog Looks at Potential Nanotechnology Risks
Abstract:
Are nanoparticles safe to breathe? Do carbon nanotubes behave like asbestos? What does the public think about nanotechnology's risk-benefit trade-offs?
New Blog Looks at Potential Nanotechnology Risks
Washington, DC | Posted on November 7th, 2007
You can find the answers to these questions and more in an exciting new blog hosted by SAFENANO (See: http://www.community.safenano.org/blogs ). Andrew D. Maynard, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies chief scientist, will be a regular contributor to the blog and will explore the many facets of nanotechnology's benefits and risks.
In his latest blog post, "Invest in nano applications, and the risks will take care of themselves?," Maynard examines recent Congressional testimony by venture capitalist and co-chair of the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Floyd Kvamme. Maynard was a witness with Kvamme at last week's House Science Committee hearing about research into nanotechnology's possible health and environmental impacts. Maynard's blog post spotlights "red flags," which Kvamme's testimony ignores, about the possible risks of some nanoparticles, and questions whether enough is being done to ensure the safety of rapidly emerging nanotechnology-based products.
The SAFENANO blog, and particularly Andrew Maynard's contribution are a "must read" for nanoscientists, businesspeople, journalists and others interested in the technology that will lead to what some are calling the next Industrial Revolution. The blog combines wit, policy insights and scientific rigor.
Maynard is one of the foremost international experts on addressing possible nanotechnology risks and developing safe nanotechnologies. He holds a Ph.D. in ultrafine aerosol analysis from Cambridge University (UK). His recent Congressional and public testimonies are available online at http://www.nanotechproject.org .
####
About The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ( http://www.wilsoncenter.org/ ) and The Pew Charitable Trusts ( http://www.pewtrusts.org/ ) in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology.
SAFENANO, the UK's premier resource on nanotechnology health and safety, is a venture by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) in Great Britain. The SAFENANO initiative's mission is to provide independent, impartial advice and consultancy concerning the potential risks to the environment and human health from nanoparticles, and to help industrial and academic communities quantify and control the risks to their workforce, consumers and the general populations and the environment.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture things usually between 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. A human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide. According to Lux Research, emerging nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $50 billion in manufactured goods in 2006. By 2014, a projected $2.6 trillion in global manufactured goods will incorporate nanotech, or about 15 percent of total output.
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Sharon McCarter
Director of Outreach and Communications
(202) 691-4016
Copyright © Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
If you have a comment, please
Contact us.
Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
Announcements
Aspen Aerogels Announces $22.5 Million Private Placement May 18th, 2013
NanoInk, Inc. Assets To Be Sold May 18th, 2013
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect May 17th, 2013
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals
Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013
Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013
DNA-Guided Assembly Yields Novel Ribbon-Like Nanostructures: Approach could be useful in fabricating new kinds of materials with engineered properties May 16th, 2013
Advancements and developments of solid-state nanopores sensors May 16th, 2013
Safety-Nanoparticles/Risk management
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Squishy hydrogels may be the ticket for studying biological effects of nanoparticles May 15th, 2013
Ubiquitous engineered nanomaterials cause lung inflammation, study finds: Substances are used in everything from paint to sporting equipment May 6th, 2013
Council of Europe commences regulation of nanotechnology April 27th, 2013