Nanotechnology:

New Promises, New Problems

What is Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules, by engineering matter at the atomic level.[1] At the nanoscale, familiar materials can have dramatically different properties: changes can affect color, elasticity, strength, conductivity, and other properties. Nanoparticles also have an increased surface area relative to their volume, making them especially reactive and useful in energy storage, for making composite materials, or as drug delivery devices. Nano materials are also able to be integrated with biological materials, producing new structures that have properties of both types of materials.

Already nanotech materials are used in hundreds of consumer products from tennis rackets to sunscreens. Nanotech applications are currently being developed for use in computer technology, energy, food and agriculture, biomedical, the military and other fields. Investment company Nanostart AG has identified more than 180 companies whose operations are mainly in the nanotechnology field, and Merrill Lynch has created a Nanotech Index (NNZ) to track the industry.

Risks of Nanotechnology

Health and environmental threats can occur from the production, use and disposal of nanoparticles. Workers in nanotech industries are especially at risk, as they can be exposed to high concentrations of nanoparticles that may enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, or skin exposure. Nanoparticles used in consumer products may threaten public health, yet there are no labeling requirements for products using nanomaterials.

Already it is known that ultrafine(nano)[2] particles in air pollution can be up to 50 times more damaging to lung tissue than fine particles of the same chemicals. Scientists believe that ultrafine particles are more toxic due to both their small size and their ability to carry large loads of toxic metals and hydrocarbons into the lungs, exacerbating breathing problems and asthma. Nanoparticles can also damage the body’s natural defenses or, conversely, cause increased responses to common allergens. They can also lead to the formation of free radicals, highly reactive elements that can damage or destroy cells and cause inflammation, heart and lung disease. Scientists are developing nanoparticles used as drug delivery devices, in some cases hoping to cross the blood-brain barrier, yet some warn that nanoparticles could carry toxins into the brain that promote Alzheimer’s or other diseases.

There has been little study of the health affects of manufactured nanoparticles, but there are already reasons to be concerned. Animal studies suggest that nanoparticles can trigger unpredictable inflammatory and immune responses. Studies have found nanoparticles in the livers of lab animals and show that they can seep into living cells. In a summer 2002 study, fifteen percent of rats exposed to nanotubes in the lungs unexpectedly died immediately, and a 2004 study showed damage to the brain in fish exposed to nanoparticles.

Little is also known about the environmental persistence or impact of engineered nanoparticles. It is difficult to predict which of these new materials may bioaccumulate and persist, as there have been no long term studies observing the unique physiochemical characteristics of these new materials. There have also been no life-cycle analyses that look at the possibilities for environmental release from production through disposal of nanoparticles. Their large, “sticky” surface area and mobility through air, water or food leads to fears that nanoparticles would be particularly adept vehicles for transporting toxic pollutants globally. Remediating problems from such nanopollution would be difficult if not impossible.

Current regulations

In 1995, Wired magazine asked leading scientists for their predictions about nanotech. The majority believed that federal regulations in the U.S. would be in place by 2000. But today, there are still no federal regulations, and federal agencies do not seem eager to slow the industry.Since nanoparticles can change properties dramatically and unexpectedly, knowledge of the properties of a substance in bulk is useless in evaluating the risks of nanotechnologies. Yet regulators currently rely on existing chemical statutes, allowing industry to market nanomaterials even though these materials have never been assessed in their nano-form. The Environmental Protection Agency, for example, is considering the risks of engineered nanoparticles under its outdated chemical regulations (the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act), and setting up a “voluntary pilot program” for assessing marketed nanomaterials. Worse yet, a Food and Drug Administration presentation on nanotech blithely states that “to date there have been no issues with current products as a result of size” and alarmingly claims that “existing pharmtox tests are probably adequate for most nano-products.” In Europe a new chemical policy called REACH requires companies to present safety data on new chemicals, but analysts have noted that even this new policy fails to address the special risks posed by the unique, unpredictable and untested properties of nanoparticles.

The Need for Precaution

The insurance industry’s concerns are useful guideposts: Allianz Insurance and Swiss RE have each developed briefings that point to the hazards and lack of regulations. They call for minimizing exposures and note that some nanotechnologies may be excluded from coverage. In Britain, the Royal Society of Engineers concluded that nanoparticles pose new and unstudied hazards, calling for a moratorium on their release into the environment.

Developments in nanotechnology must be guided by a comprehensive public process that includes the development of regulatory safeguards to protect workers, communities, and the environment. Without such transparency and safeguards, and with the rush to market new nanotechnology products that may cause serious health and environmental problems, the possibility of a public backlash against the technology looms large.

Sources:

Ernie Hood, Nanotechnology: Looking As We Leap, Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol 112, #13, September 2004

The Big Down, ETC Group, January 2003, online at

Rachel's Environment & Health News, The Revolution (numbers 772-4, parts 1-3), online at

Raloff,J.Science News Online.Nano Hazards:Exposure to minute particles harms lungs,circulatory system.Week of March 19,2005;Vol 167,No.12

Oberdorster G,Oberdorster E,Oberdorster J.2005.Nanotoxicology:An emerging discipline evolving from studies of ultrafine particles.Env Health Perspect.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Interim Ad Hoc Work Group on Nanoscale Materials, National Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee (NPPTAC) Overview of Issues for Public Discussion and Consideration by NPPTAC, 9/21/05 online at

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Regulatory Considerations for Nanotechnoogy in Public Health, Norris Alderson, Ohio Nano Summit, March 3, 2005, online at

Swiss Re, Nanotechnology - Small matter, many unknowns. May 2004. Online at

Allianz AG and OECD International Futures Programme, Small sizes that matter: Opportunities and risks of Nanotechnologies, June 1, 2005, online at

CONTROVERSIAL STUDY POINTS TO NEED FOR MORE FEDERAL RESEARCH, By Juliana Gruenwald, Small Times April 1, 2004

NANOTECHNOLOGY: As Uses Grow, Tiny Materials' Safety Is Hard to Pin Down, NY Times, November 3, 2003 BARNABY J. FEDER

Other online resources:

[1]One nanometer (nm) is the size of ten hydrogen atoms side-by-side; it is 1,000 times smaller than a micrometer. Nanotech materials generally have at least one dimension of 100 nm or less.

[2] Ultrafine and nano-particles are essentially the same – both are particles defined by their small size. The main distinction is that the ultrafine particles that have been well studied are mainly products of air pollution, whereas engineered nanoparticles are manufactured and can be become airborne during production or post-market release.

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