past event

Center on Nanotechnology & Society
2nd Annual Nanopolicy Conference
Faces of Risk: Nanopolicy and the Agenda for Safety and Society
November 30, 2007
National Press Club
Washington, D.C.
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see event (This webcast requires Real Player to view. If you do not have Real Player, click here.)

Association of Science-Technology Centers Nanopolicy Presentation (PDF)
by Margaret Glass
Risk and Nanotechnology - Who Will Bear The Risk Burden? (PDF)
by Bill Kojola
Feynman, Voltaire and Beckett on Nanotechnology (PDF)
by David Rejeski
Scientists and the Public-Discrepant Views About Nanotech (PDF)
by Dietram Schuefele

recent news

Nanomaterials and Nanoparticles Now Cheap Enough for Widespread Use in Consumer Products
www.azonano.com, April 8, 2008
Over the past two years, there has been a dramatic price decrease of nano products in an effort to achieve a sustainable business with the commercialization of these high-tech materials.
full article

Scientist Scared of Socks as Nanotechnology and Nanoparticles Become Common in Consumer Products
www.azonano.com, April 7, 2008
Researchers suggest that the particles intended to prevent foot odor in socks and bandages could enter natural waterways where they might have unwanted effects on aquatic organisms living in the water.
full article

New Class of Materials Point to Practical Hydrogen Fuel Tanks for Cars
www.azonano.com, April 3, 2008
One of the challenges to building a hydrogen-powered car is how to design a fuel tank that could store raw hydrogen for a reasonable driving range. Researchers have created a novel class of nanomaterials that could enable a practical hydrogen fuel tank.
full article

UCLA Researchers Design Nanomachine that Kills Cancer Cells
www.physorg.com, April 1, 2008
Researchers at UCLA have developed a łnanoimpellers˛ which can store anticancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into living cancer cells in response to light. This development has strong implications for cancer treatment.
full article

Think Green to Reduce Nanotech Hazards
www.physorg.com, March 31, 2008
With the explosion of nanotechnology, one scientist is promoting the use of green chemistry to help nanotechnology grow safely.
full article

Nanotechnology Tackles Balding as Nanomedicine Prototype Promotes Hair Growth
www.azonano.com, March 26, 2008
A nanomedicine prototype has been discovered to aid in the growth of new hair follicles. Scientists hope to further pursue their discovery and identify a therapeutic aide to treat male pattern baldness.
full article

Do Nanoparticles in Food Pose a Health Risk?
www.SicAm.com, March 13, 2008
With the increased use of nanoparticles in food and food-related products, government agencies are feeling pressure to conduct research on the health and environmental dangers these nanoparticles might pose.
full article

Nanotechnology Conference Tackles Safety Issues
www.nanotechnology.com, March 5, 2008
Government agencies, nanotechnology researchers, and business representatives met to discuss the scientific, legal, financial, and ethical issues facing regulatory agencies attempting to determine the safety of nanotechnology products. full article

Strong, Light, and Stretchy
www.technologyreview.com, February 25, 2008
Researchers have dispersed aluminum oxide platelets into a polymer to make a tough, stretchy, lightweight material. This material could lead to more durable dental and bone implants, and more fuel-efficient cars and airplanes.
full article

Commission Develops Code of Conduct on Nanotechnology
www.foodnavigator.com, February 12, 2008
In an attempt to protect the health of consumers, the European Commission has released a voluntary code of conduct for nanotechnology, which places the burden of responsibility for consumer safety on the researchers.
full article

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commentaries

Nigel M. de S. Cameron
Congress and Credulity
The report recently issued by the Joint Economic Committee of Congress (a combined House/Senate group) makes for some rather bizarre reading.
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Steffi Friedrichs
Governments are Gearing Up for Nanoregulation
The summer of 2006 was a hot one, not only with regard to record temperatures in the United States and across Europe, but also with regard to the ongoing debate about the regulation of nanotechnology.
more

George A. Kimbrell
Nanomaterials in Consumer Products:
It's a Small (and Unregulated) World After All
Consumer products composed of nanomaterials have arrived and represent the crest of a product wave spanning many sectors. Thousands of tons of nanomaterials are already being produced annually, with more than $32 billion in nano-enhanced products sold last year. Hundreds of nanomaterial products are on market shelves and are particularly prevalent in the personal care product sector. Moreover, product estimates are likely underestimates, as current laws do not require any specific labeling for products containing nanomaterials.
more

Jo Mackiewicz
Parsing the Visual Language of Nano-related Images
The images we see in the media without a doubt influence our attitudes toward emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology's potential effects on human health. To understand better how images of nanomedicine convey meaning, we can parse their visual language much the same way that we analyze the syntax and semantics of verbal language. Understanding the "parts of speech" of visual language helps us understand how the subtle meanings that nano-related images convey to mass audiences.
more

Michele Mekel
Taking the Nano Pulse:
National Research Council Releases Triennial NNI Review
Although nano reports are coming out with such frequency that they alone could pose a serious deforestation threat were they all to be printed, one recently released report had been awaited by the nanocognoscenti for some time.
more

Nora Savage, Ph.D., and Anita Street, M.P.H.
Nanotechnology and the Environmental Protection Agency
Nanotechnology has both applications and implications for the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is supporting collaborative research in this technology while evaluating its regulatory responsibility to protect the environment and human health.
more

Michael Weeks
Controlling Occupational Nanomaterial Exposures: What We Can Do Today
Questions have been raised regarding the impact of nanomaterials in occupational settings, consumer goods and applications, and environmental exposure at every stage of their cradle-to-grave lifecycle. Many of the answers to these questions await more information on nanomaterials' toxicological properties, which can be unique to each material and, therefore, difficult to characterize.
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