Much to my chagrin, I have been accused by the writers of having said that the thoughts of introducing the idea to Kenyans amount to hype. I have also been accused in a later paragraph of labelling nanotechnology, in general, as hype.
If the writers read my article titled ‘Nanotechnology and its Challenges’ posted on June 5 in this newspaper, it is difficult to see any implicit statement referring to nanotechnology as hype. Rather I have cautioned against romanticising the issue, by making unproven claims about its potential.

Sweeping statements about the possibilities available with nanotechnology ought to be left on the backburner until their veracity can be proven by verifiable research.

Read the full article here.

The Framework - available online at www.NanoRiskFramework.com - was jointly developed one year ago to assist with the responsible development and use of nanotechnology and to help inform global dialogue on its potential risks. Since then, it has been downloaded over 3,000 times by visitors from nearly 100 countries around the globe.

…"We’ve seen strong global interest in the Nano Risk Framework over the past year from companies and organizations of all shapes and sizes," said Gwen Ruta, vice president of corporate partnerships at EDF. "By translating this tool into multiple languages, we’ve made it easier for organizations around the world to address the potential risks of nanotechnology while embracing its powerful benefits."

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Parliament's final report on food additives, adopted on 8 July, underlines that sweeteners, colourings, preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, gelling agents and packaging gases can only be authorised if they are safe for consumers and if there is a technological need for their use. In addition, additives need to present "advantages and benefits to consumers".

…Regarding nanotechnology in food additives, the House did not stick to its first reading call for separate limit values for nanotech. Instead, the legislation now states that a new authorisation process and safety evaluation must be carried out if an additive's production process is changed.

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A study published in the May 20, 2008, issue of Nature Nanotechnology showed that nanotubes, tube-shaped nanoparticles, can lead to cancer. Not long ago nanotubes were considered promising vehicles for delivering anti-tumour agents into malignant cells. Studies had even shown them to be safe because they get out of the system through excretion. Another study conducted on brain cells outside the body showed that particles of titanium dioxide, used in sunscreen lotions, could kill the cells by affecting their oxygen balance. The study was published in the November 2007 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

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Several years ago, the National Cancer Institute made nanotechnology a centerpiece of its promise to eliminate suffering and death from cancer by 2015. Though the timetable was unrealistic, the promise of cancer nanotech -- molecules designed to detect and destroy cancerous cells -- was real.

The NCI poured money into cancer nanotech training and research. At the time, experiments were largely restricted to animals; as of today, at least 48 clinical trials are ongoing, many already in Phase II. When I reported yesterday on drug-infused nanoparticles that stopped mouse liver and kidney cancers from spreading, some commenters why I was still covering animal research.

Read the full blog here.

Now, they're showing up in all sorts of products, with no oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency. Proponents say they can be used to kill bacteria, but critics are concerned about possible health impacts.

In a chemistry lab at U.C. Berkeley, they are making and working with materials so small that to see them, it takes an electron microscope.

The advantage of nanosilver is that it is so small they can put it into anything from socks to kill foot odor and toothpaste to reduce decay. But that same smallness also brings a liability.

"Do they go into the bloodstream? Do they kill bugs in the environment? We need answers in order to be safe," says Dr. Andrew Maynard.

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The ACTION-Grid consortium aims to maximise the potential of biomedical data and computing resources. The project partners' work effectively reinforces the European Commission's position that research groups improve their understanding of activities carried out in target countries such as those from the Western Balkans and Latin America. The partners will focus on finding and fuelling cooperation, as well as identifying viable activities for the future. Besides establishing a collaborative environment between the regions, the seven-member consortium will exchange research results and contribute to improving the EU's Research Programme in a specific area.

Their work will develop training and mobility in BMI, grid and nanoinformatics. The consortium says the results will be integrated with data from an automated 'resourceome', an inventory of BMI/grid/nano methods and services developed by the ACTION-Grid team. This inventory can be accessed by researchers and users. Ultimately, the resourceome will enable researchers - from the across the board - to access the new technologies developed in the EU.'

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Nano-materials are now used in more than six hundred products including makeup, sunscreen, wrinkle-fee khakis, tennis rackets and bicycles, with many more high-tech applications under development, such as tiny, powerful computer chips and super-strong materials for space.

Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire each have nanotech centers, and at least 10 companies in the state make use of nano-materials.

But Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the rapid introduction of the technology has come without adequate testing for health risks.

"There has been almost no testing and we really don't know very much about the safety of nano-materials yet," she said. "It's going to be left up to the states, and right now they're not doing it, either."

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I clearly remember the day that the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) became a reality, shortly after Dr. Howard became NIOSH director.  In a move that cut through so much red tape it must have looked like a bureaucratic snowstorm, John and I met to discuss a plan to coordinate nanotechnology activities across the agency.  I don’t remember his exact words—just his enthusiasm for the idea and an immediate grasp of the need for NIOSH to look towards emerging risks—but I do remember that before lunch there was no NTRC, and after lunch there was.

It is this style of leadership that has continued to ensure NIOSH not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk when it comes to nanotechnology, no matter what the administrative and bureaucratic barriers.

Read the full blog here.

A scientific oddity not long ago, nanotechnology is transforming household products, including clothing, skin creams, cameras and canola oil.

But safety research is lagging, and public understanding has stalled, making the field ripe for a consumer backlash if problems emerge.

"The public, in general, has no idea what is happening," said David Berube, a communications professor at N.C. State University who is working with a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation on how to communicate nanotech risks.

"There is a window of opportunity right now," Berube said. "The public hasn't decided what it thinks. There hasn't been an epiphany in the industry where something awful happens, like Three Mile Island."

Read the full article here.

While the study shows that quantum dots of different sizes, shapes and surface coatings do not penetrate rat skin unless there is an abrasion, it shows that even minor cuts or scratches could potentially allow these nanoparticles to penetrate deep into the viable dermal layer – or living part of the skin – and potentially reach the bloodstream.

Dr. Nancy Monteiro-Riviere, professor of investigative dermatology and toxicology at NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine, tested the ability of the quantum dots to penetrate rat skin at 8 and 24 hour intervals. The experiment evaluated rat skin in various stages of distress – including healthy skin, skin that had been stripped using adhesive tape and skin that had been abraded by a rough surface. The researchers also assessed whether flexing the skin affected the quantum dots' ability to penetrate into the dermal layer. Monteiro-Riviere co-authored the study with doctoral student Leshuai Zhang.

Read the full article here.

…None of these constraints are specific to nanomaterials, of course.  Nonetheless, all of them would apply to any nanomaterial or use of a nanomaterial EPA tried to regulate – even, for example, if it were simply to seek to require labeling of products containing a nanomaterial.

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If you examine who is delivering the majority of venture capital returns in nanotechnology, it is application-oriented life sciences companies, says analyst firm Lux Research. Yet venture capitalists are consistently providing more funding to companies in other areas.

…That's because "gas prices and global warming make the crises in energy and the environment really visible," Grose says. However, he notes, the need for beneficial nanomedicine remains strong.

"So there are great investment opportunities -- and sketchy ones -- in both areas, and you really need to examine each company's scientific value closely to find value."

That's just one of the findings in Lux Research's new report, "How Venture Capitalists Are Misplaying Nanotech." The report also notes...

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The possibility that carbon nanotubes would show asbestos-like behaviour in the human body was raised ten years ago with a call for appropriate research. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma — cancer of the lining of the lungs (pleura) and abdominal cavity (peritoneum). The nanotube and asbestos analogy relies on several points of material similarity: small fibre diameter, long length and chemical stability in physiological environments (biopersistence). There are also differences between these two fibrous materials, such as their chemical composition and surface properties, so the validity and usefulness of the nanotube and asbestos analogy have been unclear. Two recent studies provide important new insight into the possibility that carbon nanotubes may indeed induce mesothelioma — a disease that is rare in unexposed populations and is thus a sensitive marker for asbestos exposure.

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