Environment and Green Nano
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March 26, 2010
Special Report on nanotechnology from AOL News
AOL News published a three part series on nanotechnology. “Nanotechnology has long been hyped for its potential to cure diseases, ease energy problems, supercharge our computers and more. But increasing evidence shows that the engineered particles could pose a giant risk to the environment and human life.”
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December 23, 2009
Project Director David Rejeski assesses the promises and perils of nanotechnology in The Environmental Forum
Pretty much as predicted, the long awaited convergence of nanotechnology and biotechnology has arrived. Can environmental protection, still cleaning
up the last Industrial Revolution, avoid the perils while realizing the promises of manufacturing at an atomic scale?
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news/archive
October 13, 2009
Nanolessons for Revamping Government Oversight of Technology
A new article by PEN senior advisor J. Clarence (Terry) Davies calls for radical change in how the federal government oversees nanotechnology and other technologies to best protect human health and the environment.
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July 8, 2009
Contaminated Site Remediation: Are Nanomaterials the Answer? First Map of Global Nanoremediation Sites Available Online
A new review article appearing in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) co-authored by Dr. Todd Kuiken, a research associate for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), focuses on the use of nanomaterials for environmental cleanup. It provides an overview of current practices; research findings; societal issues; potential environment, health, and safety implications; and possible future directions for nanoremediation. The authors conclude that the technology could be an effective and economically viable alternative for some current site cleanup practices, but potential risks remain poorly understood.
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news/archive
January 14, 2009
Getting 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.
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news/archive
September 9, 2008
Nanoscale Silver: No Silver Lining?
Widespread use of nanoscale silver will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, highlighting the need to identify research priorities concerning this emerging technology, according to a new report by Dr. Samuel Luoma. Existing information about the impact of silver on the environment offers a starting point for some assessments of nanosilver, the report argues.
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September 8, 2008
Nanotechnology and the FDA: Size Matters!
In July 2007 the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued its Nanotechnology Task Force Report. This report acknowledged that nanoscale materials potentially could be used in most product types regulated by the agency and that those materials present challenges complicated by the fact that properties relevant to product safety and effectiveness may change as size varies within the nanoscale.
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news/archive
July 28, 2008
Local Officials Move Toward Monitoring Nanotechnologies
State and local officials have taken steps to begin monitoring the manufacture and storage of nanomaterials, a major step for a cutting-edge technology that has yet to be regulated by the federal government. Today, the Cambridge, MA Public Health Department recommended that the city take several steps to gain a better understanding of the nature and extent of local nanotechnology-related activities.
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July 23, 2008
Nanotech: A Regulatory Blueprint for the Next Administration
Nanotechnology will significantly change virtually every facet of the way we live. The next president has the opportunity to shape these changes and to ensure that nanotechnology’s benefits will be maximized and its risks identified and controlled. A new report by former EPA official J. Clarence (Terry) Davies lays out a clear roadmap for the next presidential administration and describes the immediate and longer term steps necessary to deal with the current shortcomings of nanotechnology oversight.
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May 28, 2008
Tuning in to Carbon Nanotube Safety
For several days last week, newspapers across the country and around the world reported on a new research study recently published in Nature Nanotechnology with headlines like “Nanotechnology cancer risk found” and “Nanotubes as deadly as asbestos.” This week National Public Radio’s “Science Friday” and “The Kojo Nnamdi Show” interviewed the Project’s chief science advisor Dr. Andrew Maynard, enabling listeners to get behind the headlines and pose questions directly to one of the study’s authors.
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news/archive
May 19, 2008
Carbon Nanotubes That Look Like Asbestos, Behave Like Asbestos
A major study published today in Nature Nanotechnology suggests some forms of carbon nanotubes could be as harmful as asbestos if inhaled in sufficient quantities. The study used established methods to see if specific types of nanotubes have the potential to cause mesothelioma — a cancer of the lung lining that can take 30-40 years to appear following exposure.
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news/archive
May 14, 2008
Public Trust Is The ‘Dark Horse’ In Nanotechnology’s Future
Without an improved governance structure, the benefits of nanotechnology may never be realized because the public will not trust the cutting-edge technology. As part of major nanotechnology legislation, federal officials must bring together the best minds in the nation to develop a governance structure that will work with nanotechnology to ensure potential risks are minimized and that consumer confidence is maximized, said David Rejeski, director of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, at an April 24 Senate science and technology subcommittee hearing.
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February 26, 2008
Federal Toxics Disclosure Law Could Help Inform Public Of Nanotechnology Risks
The Project has released a first-time legal analysis that finds a key federal toxics reporting statute could be applied to production and commercialization of nanotechnology, providing the public with more information about these revolutionary – yet still potentially risky – technologies.
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news/archive
February 11, 2008
Know Your Nano? Free iPods To Those With High “Nano IQ”!
Five free iPod Nanos are up for grabs! To celebrate the launch of our redesigned website, the Project is sponsoring a “Nano-IQ” contest. Winners will be randomly selected from those who successfully complete the five-question quiz. - UPDATE: Winners Announced!
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January 31, 2008
How Will Government Spur Technological Innovation In The 21st Century?
At the January 22nd Congressional Nano Caucus briefing, project director David Rejeski recommended the establishment of a federal venture capital fund to speed the development and commercialization of green nanotechnology applications. This follows the release of a white paper on government-run VC funds by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Foresight and Governance Project.