Nov 1 2007
Want to buy a bag of carbon nanotubes—in quantities
from a few grams to hundreds of kilograms (100 kilograms =
approximately 220 pounds)? With a credit card and Internet access, you
can. But is the U.S. government doing enough to ensure the safety of
these materials and the hundreds of other nanotechnology commercial and
consumer products currently on the market?
The answer is a resounding “no,” says Project
on Emerging Nanotechnologies chief scientist Andrew Maynard.
“The materials safety data sheet for carbon nanotubes - which
provides workers and safety personnel with information on proper
handling procedures - treats these substances as graphite, the material
used in pencils. But carbon nanotubes are as similar to pencil lead as
the soot on my barbeque grill at home is to diamonds.”
According to Maynard, “This is just one example of
the yawning knowledge gap between the nanomaterials entering commerce
now and their safety. And this uncertainty over how to develop
nanotechnologies safely, hamstrings regulators, hinders nanobusiness,
and confuses consumers.”
Dr. Maynard’s remarks are from his testimony today
at a hearing held by U.S. Congress’s House Science Committee.
According to Maynard, filling this knowledge gap will not be
easy, but it is essential and must be done quickly if nanotechnology is
to succeed. He recommends the following necessary steps:
- Establish a clear, top-down risk research strategy with the
resources required to ensure its implementation;
- Create a new federal advisory committee to allow
transparent input and review from industry, scientists, labor groups,
nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders;
- Allocate approximately 10 percent of the U.S.
government’s nanotechnology research and development budget
to goal-oriented nanotechnology environment, health, and safety
research—a minimum of $50 million annually for research
directly tied to oversight and regulatory needs and an estimated $95
million per year for exploratory research that is conducted within the
scope of a federal strategic research program; (Previous analysis by
Maynard shows that in 2005 the U.S. government spent approximately $11
million on highly relevant risk research.)
- Launch a public-private research partnership program, with
cost-sharing between industry and government, to address immediate and
critical research questions on effective oversight; and
- Appoint a top-level government leader responsible for the
action needed to address the environment, health and safety challenges
of nanotechnology.
“There is no doubt that nanotechnology has the
potential to make the world a better place and that members of the
National Nanotechnology Initiative have great intentions to do the
right thing. But given what is at stake here - the quality of our
environment, the future vitality of the American economy, and the
health of workers and consumers - good intentions are not
enough,” said Maynard.