(Added Oct 24 2008: This article is also available at 2020science.org)
If you want proof that nano is mainstream, just pick up the U.S. May edition of fashion magazine “Elle.” Sharing cover-space with Madonna is the latest article on nanotech and the beauty business.
Elle might not be your first choice of reading for cutting edge science, but Joanne Chen’s article “Small Wonders” is no slouch when it comes to conveying complex ideas in digestible bites. Using beauty products as examples (from hair dryers to conditioners to anti-wrinkle cream), Chen takes the reader on a journey through the wonders and worries of nano. As an exercise in making nanotechnology accessible, the article is a must-read.
On the benefits of smallness:
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies director David Rejeski noted while showing U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair John Kerry a locally-purchased tube of nano-silver toothpaste
yesterday. The current tally of allegedly nano-enabled consumer products in the
on-line PEN inventory is over 600; and these are just the tip of the iceberg. Rejeski’s
Ace Silver Plus Nano Silver Toothpaste is typical of many entries—using nanotech to “improve” an existing product, but with apparently little attention paid to whether the use is a good idea.
And this raises serious questions in the minds of consumers, regulators and many nanotech businesses. What safeguards are there to ensure the nano-innovator next door (or South Korea in the case of the toothpaste) is asking the right questions about avoiding adverse impacts? Not a lot is the answer. Many nanotechnology industries are still floundering in a sea of uncertainty when it comes to ensuring product safety.
Matthew Nordan, president of
Lux Research, summed it up in testimony submitted to yesterday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing:
“Seven years after the NNI’s launch, it’s still unclear to most commercial entities when and how the materials they work with will be treated under the EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act – forming a real commercialization gating factor.” [written testimony available here. PDF, 192 KB]
Such uncertainty is bad for business, bad for consumers, and ultimately bad for nanotechnology.
As nanotechnology begins to rub shoulders with pop culture and awareness of its existence grows, more and more people will be asking what it can do for them, and what the down sides are. Yesterday’s hearing (focused on the reauthorization of the U.S. 21st Century Nanotechnology R&D act) asked what is needed to ensure the commercial success of nanotechnology. And the answers came through loud and clear—understand and avoid risks ahead of the game, ensure transparency, and engage people.
This month in Elle, nanotechnology just happened to be in the right place at the right time as it shared the cover with Madonna. But awareness is definitely growing. And as it does, people will want to know whether it is safe and effective.
The question is, will we have the answers?
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Trivia
- Madonna’s 1991 film “Truth or Dare”, documenting her Blond Ambition tour, was released as “In Bed With Madonna” in the UK and Australia.
- In 2004, nanotech commentator and fellow blogger Howard Lovy drew a link between Madonna and nanotechnology in the Salon article Nanotech angels.
- I am not a Madonna fan :-)