The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) states that there are more than 1300 consumer goods in the market that can be identified by their manufacturers and the nanotechnologies involved across the globe.
The organization’s latest report states that the technology is currently being used in such diverse fields as non-stick cooking pans to solutions that can automatically clean window panes.
David Rejeski, director at PEN, comments that the organization offered an initial stock of nanotechnology- based consumer products in March 2006. At that time, the count stood at 212 products. Should this growth rate persist, the figure could well touch 3400 by the year 2020.
The list is topped predictably by products used in the health and fitness sector, capturing 56% of the total market. Products that were designed using the nanoscale silver due to its antimicrobial characteristics, stood at 24% of the market. More than 30 countries were surveyed in the current survey, including the US, China, Canada, Germany, and India. The products listed in the report however relate to those launched earlier, with no updated data.
Dr. Todd Kuiken, a research associate with PEN, says the survey was initiated in an endeavor to educate people on the technology. It was also a step toward prompting authorities in agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to develop infrastructure required to identify products based on nanotechnology.
Source: http://www.nanotechproject.org/