[The Vector] Nanotechnology – A Disappointment? (Part Two)

(continued from an earlier article)

Down in the Quantum World

Nano particles are less than 100 nanomicrons in width, meaning that a human hair is approximately 80,000nm wide. Down at the molecular level, materials behave differently to the way they behave in larger volumes. Because so little is known about material behaviour at nano level at the International Forum on Chemical Safety at Dakar in 2008, 71 governments and 12 international organizations recommended the application of the Precautionary Principle to it. The principle states that anyone proposing a new initiative in a risky area must prove their initiative is safe before they carry it out.

Yet, according to the Friends of the Earth report, regulatory systems in the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan and other countries treat all particles the same; that is, they do not recognise that nanoparticles of familiar substances may have novel properties and novel risks. Carbon nanotubes for use in electronics, energy applications and vehicle parts may be associated with the cancer mesothelioma, for example. Although many nanomaterials now in commercial use pose greater toxicity risks than the same materials in larger particle form, if a substance has been approved in bulk form, it remains legal to sell it in nano form.

There are also worries about the unknown effects of nano particles in waste when they come in contact with nature. In fact, we do not know what effects they are already having because the environmental detection of nano particles is still in its infancy.

At the same time, the report does not call for an end to research into nanomaterials. It recognizes the game-changing potential of the technologies. Instead, it argues that the environmental benefits of nanotechnologies will be minimal in the next ten to 20 years – and the next ten years are crucial in our efforts to battle to maintain global temperture levels.

Driving forward in safety belts

All nanomaterials must be subject to the same safety assessments as new substances, argues Friends of the Earth, even where the properties of larger scale counterparts are well known.

The report makes five recommendations on a safer way forward:

• Safeguard people and the environment from nanotoxicity risks, including those of antimicrobial products

• Evaluate the energy demands and GHG emissions associated with nano product manufacture

• Ensure producers’ responsibility for end of life product recovery and recycling

• Require manufacturer take-back and recycling programs; support product design to maximise recyclability

• Require labeling to support people’s right to know

• Establish comprehensive and precautionary legislation to manage the risks associated with nanotechnology in general

• Ban export of dangerous nanowaste and defunct nanoproducts, especially to the Global South

You can download the report from Friends of the Earth’s Australian site at:

http://nano.foe.org.au/nanotechnology-climate-and-energy-over-heated-promises-and-hot-air