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Safety Studies on Nanoparticles Lag Behind Technology (Washington Post, 6/1/08) |
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June 01, 2008 |
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You can't see them, but they're everywhere, from
stain-resistant pants to antibacterial bandages to deflation-proof tennis
balls. They're nanoparticles, microscopic substances less than one
one-thousandth the width of a human hair. Though their size gives them unique
properties that create handy technologies, concern is growing that some
nanoparticles may be bad for the environment, and for you.
One issue is that the explosion of products using
nanomaterials has outpaced the research into what happens when the particles
escape into the environment or the human body. "Safety studies are
dribbling in, but new consumer products are pouring in," says Jane
Houlihan, vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group, a
nonprofit organization that studies environmental health issues. "The
system is backwards."
Arizona State University researchers, for instance, recently
presented a study that found that silver nanoparticles used in odor-resistant
socks leached into water after just a few washings and that the leaching also
produced ionic silver, a toxin.
Read the full article here.
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Last Updated ( June 02, 2008 )
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