Project Press Releases
- March 23, 2009pdfNanotechnology: Will It Drive a New Innovation Economy for the U.S.?Nanotechnology - which some scientists and business leaders hail as ushering in the next technology-driven Industrial Revolution - promises to be one of the critical foundations for this new innovation economy. While hopes are high, what is actually happening on the ground in terms of nanotechnology research and commercialization?
- February 11, 2009pdfStimulus Debate Highlights Need for Focus on Nanotech RisksThe nearly $800 billion stimulus package being debated in Congress contains a number of measures intended to improve information technology, infrastructure and the energy economy in the United States – all areas that will be greatly aided by nanotechnology. Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation that makes the importance of understanding the possible risks posed by engineered nanomaterials a centerpiece of the goverment’s reauthorization of funding for nanotechnology research. The bill highlights the growing need to learn more about the possible environmental, health and safety dangers posed by some nanoscale materials.
- January 28, 2009pdfWorld’s First Mandatory National Nanotech Requirement PendingCanada is reportedly planning in February to become the first nation in the world to require companies to detail their use of engineered nanomaterials. The information gathered under the requirement will be used to evaluate the risks of engineered nanomaterials and will help to develop appropriate safety measures to protect human health and the environment.
- January 27, 2009pdfEthical Evaluations of NanotechnologyRecent action in Congress to reauthorize the U.S. federal nanotechnology research program offers the chance to address the social and ethical issues concerning the emerging scientific field, experts say. “It is crucial to address social and ethical issues now as we consider both the substantial potential risks of nanotechnology and its possible significant contributions to our well-being and environmental sustainability,” says Ronald Sandler, Northeastern University philosophy professor and author of a new report released today by the Project.
- January 15, 2009pdfNanotech Safety High on Congress’ Priority ListThe House Science and Technology Committee introduced legislation today that highlights the growing attention on Capitol Hill to the need to strengthen federal efforts to learn more about the potential environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks posed by engineered nanomaterials.Introduction of the bill comes only months after J. Clarence (Terry) Davies authored a report that makes a series of recommendations for improving federal risk research and oversight of engineered nanomaterials at EPA, the FDA and the CPSC.
- January 14, 2009pdfGetting Your Daily Dose of Nano?The ability of the FDA to regulate the safety of dietary supplements using nanomaterials is severely limited by lack of information, lack of resources and the agency’s lack of statutory authority in certain critical areas, according to: A Hard Pill To Swallow: Barriers to Effective FDA Regulation of Nanotechnology-Based Dietary Supplements, a new report by former FDA officials William B. Schultz and Lisa Barclay.
- January 8, 2009pdfSynthetic Biology: Is Ethics a Showstopper?Synthetic biology promises to enable cheap, lifesaving new drugs to treat the 350-500 million people who suffer from malaria, and to create innovative biofuels that can help solve the world’s energy problems. But are synthetic biologists playing God? Will synthetic biology’s expected products and profits be stymied by policymakers and the public? Join us and explore these unresolved questions with Dr. Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
- December 18, 2008pdfExperts Argue Nano Food-Additives Require New OversightNanotechnology policy experts are urging that food additives containing nanoscale materials be subject to new safety testing to ensure that their use does not pose unintended risks. The call comes as nanotechnology emerges as a major regulatory challenge facing the incoming Obama administration.
- December 10, 2008pdfPanel Blasts Federal Nanotech Risk Research StrategyA National Research Council committee today issued a highly critical report describing serious shortfalls in the Bush administration’s strategy to better understand the environment, health and safety risks of nanotechnology and to effectively manage those potential risks. The report calls for a significantly revamped national strategic plan that will minimize potential risks so that innovation will flourish and society will reap nanotechnology’s benefits.
- December 8, 2008pdfNanotech: To Know It Is Not Necessarily To Love ItA new experiment conducted by the Cultural Cognition Project at Yale Law School in collaboration with the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and published Dec. 7 on the Nature Nanotechnology Web site found that how people react to information about nanotechnology depends on cultural predispositions.
