The science of the very small could pose some very big problems for state and local agencies, according to a new report by Wisconsin researchers.

Data gaps in our understanding of the burgeoning field of nanotechnology are forcing unprepared state and local governments to bear the brunt of regulating the new technology's potentially hazardous risks, the authors conclude.

The new report makes clear that "in the absence of clear guidelines from Washington, the states are being left to fill in the gaps," said Andrew Maynard, the chief science adviser for emerging nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, who was not involved in the research.

"Most of the discussion so far has been at the federal level," said Maria Powell, an environmental scientist at the University of Madison-Wisconsin's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, who led the study. "But what hasn't been discussed is the fact that federal regulations charge a lot of key statutes to the states. So, we should really be looking at what's happening at the state level . . . and overall, the states aren't really prepared."

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