SAFENANO Community

From 2020science: Ten years ago to the month, one of the first research reports detailing the challenges of ensuring the safe use of engineered nanomaterials was delivered to the UK Health and Safety Executive.  The report wasn’t for general release, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a copy of it in the public domain.  But as a ...

From 2020science: Nanotechnology—like other emerging technologies—presents a dilemma:  If you're making new substances with uncertain health risks, how low is low enough when it comes to managing exposure? The issue is raised in the current edition of Nature Nanotechnology by Vladimir Murashov of the National Institute for Occupational ...

From 2020Science.org: Twelve months ago today I held a bag of multi-walled carbon nanotubes up before a hearing of the U.S. House Science Committee.  I wanted to emphasize the discrepancy between the current state of the science on carbon nanotubes, and a tendency to classify this substance as the relatively benign material graphite from ...

$38 million!  The number keeps floating before my eyes; a retinal imprint from the press release.  $38 million for nanotechnology environmental impact research, courtesy of the folks at the U.S. National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency.  $38 million to be spent over the next five years on addressing the ...

The SafeNANO blog is no stranger to the use (and possible abuse) of nanometre-scale silver—products ranging from silver-enhanced socks and toothpaste to plush toys and cure-alls have all appeared in the spotlight recently.  With each passing month, the number of nano-silver gizmos on the market is growing.  Back in March 2006 when the ...

Amidst the cacophony of debate swirling around the true meaning of nanotechnology, I head a voice or reason last week.  The voice was that of Dr. Bernd Sachweh of BASF, speaking at the European Aerosol Conference in Thessoloniki.I paraphrase, but the essence of Bernd’s point was this:‘Nano’ is not a thing or a product.  It has no ...

How cool is this: A nanotech-enabled labcoat to protect the user against… well, nanomaterials presumably, amongst other things!  The labcoat—which uses Nanotex technology to make it stain resistant—is part of a major update to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Consumer Products Inventory that tracks manufacture-identified ...

Time for a nano-break.  I’ll be taking a break from the SafeNano blog over the next three weeks, as my family try to convince me there really is life beyond nanotechnology (I’m sceptical).  In the meantime, I couldn’t resist giving loyal readers something to think about in my absence:When was the first intentionally engineered nanoscale ...

Addressing potential nanotechnology environment, health and safety (EHS) impacts up-front makes good business sense – doesn’t it?  The US-based advisory firm Lux Research certainly thinks so.  The latest document from the organization—“Nanomaterials State of the Market Q3 2008: Stealth Success, Broad Impact”—recommends investors ...

As the rate of technological progress advances, are we learning the lessons of past successes and failures?  And are we applying these lessons successfully to nanotechnology? In 2001, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a seminal report on developing emerging technologies responsibly.  Through a series of fourteen case studies spanning ...