UK Scientists Recommend Caution in Nanotechnology

PizzaFace writes "An independent study of issues posed by nanotechnology has warned that nanoparticles could pose unique risks and should be regulated by government, and generally should be considered hazardous until shown to be safe. Nanoparticles are now being used in some cosmetics, and workers in some industries face exposure on the job. As the report summary notes, 'Concerns have been expressed that the very properties of nanoscale particles being exploited in certain applications (such as high surface reactivity and the ability to cross cell membranes) might also have negative health and environmental impacts.' The year-long study was commissioned by the United Kingdom and done by a joint working group of the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Washington Post reports that the U.S. government is aware of nanotechnology but is letting industry regulate itself for now."

Perhaps its just an idea of a layman but...

[Creepy Crawler]

Hasnt biology been crafting nano-stuff since.. the beginning?

Whether it be a buckeyball or a double helix, cant the body handle it? You know.. evolve?

Re:Perhaps its just an idea of a layman but...

[cephyn]

evolution doesnt help the little guy. just your great^10 grandchildren.

Well, them...

[OgdEnigmaX]

or the great^10 nanoparticle-unresistant grandchildren you fail to sire because of said nanoparticles...

Re:Well, them...

[cephyn]

well this is assuming you survive the nano-plague that killed 90% of your fellow humans. you survived, though not without great pain, illness and physical torture by the nanoplague. Often you wished you'd rather have been dead. Luckily, Susie Thomas also survived, and you were able to prove that her earlier "not if you were the last man on earth" protests and rebuffs were just hyperbole. THEN you were able to sire said little rugrats, who just now happen to be resistant to the great nanoplague, thanks to yo

Re:Well, them...

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

This is also assuming the guy can get laid. This is /. after all.

Re:Well, them...

[cephyn]

Susie will give in, once I release the nano-plague...

did i just post that?

Re:Perhaps its just an idea of a layman but...

[Goldsmith]

While I agree that nanotechnology needs to have some oversight to make sure everything is kosher, I think we have a lot more to worry about from biology.

I work at making carbon nanotube chemical sensors. The "nano" part is grown right on the chip, and promply pinned down with metal lithography, thereby protecting it from any living tissue which might come by and try to hurt it.

My biology inclined fiance is working on using natural proteins as targeted drug delivery systems. Delivering cancer drugs only

Hope they've learn their lesson.

[MindStalker]

Hopefully US companies remember asbestos and the like. And understand that they will get their asses sued into the ground if they arn't sure these product are absolutly safe.

Re:Hope they've learn their lesson.

[MindStalker]

Just for clarification though, I think the stunt of suing companies for asbestos when nobody had an idea that they were dangerious when it was originally made is idiotic to say the least.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

You Lewis Herold Brown's grandson or something?

[Chmcginn]

Asbestos is known to be a Co-Carcinogen. That is, by itself asbestos doesn't do anything.

Wow, I'd love to see some sources for that. As would a lot of other people... like my uncle who spent twenty years in construction, my supervisor who spent way too many years in a US Navy office building tiled with the stuff, and my cousin, who worked for his dad. Guess how many of them smoke? And guess how many have had some "pre-cancerous tumours"?

Re:

[account_deleted]

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Re:Hope they've learn their lesson.

[ooPo]

Yes, let's stake the lives of people on the word 'hopefully'.

Re:Hope they've learn their lesson.

[MindStalker]

Hopefully my tires won't blow on the way home smashing me into a semi. Yes, our lifes hang on hopefully all the time.

Re:Hope they've learn their lesson.

[KjetilK]

Problem is to find out. It may just be very, very difficult.

I think the problem is the cutthroat business environment we have. If everything was done in the open, the problem would have been much less, and it would be much easier to form in informed opinion.

Caution

[Mark_MF-WN]

Obviously, some caution is required. But it would also be a shame to see this technology be slowed down. What we really need is some kind of consortium that will let companies work together to come up with reasonable standards that wont hinder their work. Legislation should be avoided until it proves necessary.

Caution where it's necessary

[Pi_0's don't shower]

I can't believe this! Here we have some strong evidence that this nanotechnology can prove dangerous, and our government does nothing to inform people of the risks.

BOTOX injections are just fine, too, apparently. Why would botulanum toxin be dangerous, anyway?

Yet, on the other hand, potentially life-saving research like stem-cell research is *banned* by the US government.

Maybe what should happen is that in vitro testing of *all* such biotechnology should be allowed without regulation, but once human te

Re:Caution where it's necessary

[Otter]

You're conflating two utterly different questions -- safety on the one hand and an issue of bioethics on the other. (And botox, which has nothing to do with either.)

You can disagree about how tightly nanoscale particles should be regulated and you can disagree about what stem-cell research should be funded by the government (for the bazillionth time, stem-cell research is not banned, let alone "*banned*") but one has nothing to do with the other.

Re:Caution

[remou]

> Legislation should be avoided until it proves necessary.

you mean like when massive amounts of people die from it, or something???

not trying to flamebait here, but could you maybe elaborate a bit what you mean by 'proves necessary'

haven't they already shown that nano-particles can go through pretty much any barrier the human body has and show up in any part of your body???

unfortunatly..

[Lord Bitman]

the only thing that will make nanotechnology safe is yet more nanotechnology. So we can't be too cautious :)

Re:unfortunatly..

[Goldsmith]

Damn, you've figured us out!

Anybody else disturbed by

[Marxist Hacker 42]

The first use of nanotech being in cosmetics? Oh yeah- we don't really know how dangerous this stuff is, so let's kill off a bunch of teenage girls to find out.

Re:Anybody else disturbed by

[enforcer999]

I wonder how they label it in cosmetics? Do they put a warning? This is something I would like to know.

No need to worry!

[chcorey]

No need to worry! Cosmetics are tested on animals first. I knew there was a reason behind why we were doing animal testing, other than making some freakishly looking rabbits. *shudders* - Core

Completely ridiculous

[slubberdegullion]

This is utterly ridiculous. Like horses worried about car exhaust. We ruthlessly kill bacteria and bugs and such as a matter of course because we are so much superior to them, but then nanotechnology is as superior to us as we are to bugs, and yet we protest at dying to support its first stirrings! Truly the human race is the most arrogant, if not the most intelligent, thing that will ever exist on the planet!