Nanotechnology: How to Address the Risks?

 

Nanotechnology is a generic term for a burgeoning field of new technology that can arrange old substances in a radically new form. A nanoparticle is too small to be seen with the naked eye, each particle being only 1 nanometer (nm) in width, which is about 1/80,000 the width of a human hair. This new technology is already being used in many new products and applications, from cosmetics to industrial applications to military uses. But at this size, nanoparticles can behave very differently from the same materials when they are not nano size.

 

Positive public policy requires that humans and the environment not be exposed to unnecessary harm. But presently the public policy is to promote nanotech research and development. Too little emphasis is being placed on assessing the risks, even though there is ample evidence that indicates the risks may be significant.  So far, the FDA requires no labeling on products that contain nanoparticles, even those that consumers ingest or that are used in cosmetics and lotions for adults and infants. This means that self-protection is very difficult, if not impossible.

 

We encourage all citizens to become informed about the potential risks from nanotechnology and to take action to minimize them. And we encourage the developers and producers of nanotechnology to take the concerns of the public seriously, to join us in public dialogue, and discuss how these concerns can reasonably be addressed. We want to benefit from the many positive aspects of nanotechnology without being harmed in the process. And we urge our elected representatives to insure that public health and nanotech safety are always a higher priority than industry profit.

 

The Growing Risks

Sailing Under The Radar

 

One of the most disconcerting aspects of nanotechnology is that these minute particles are able to penetrate all of the organs of the body, but especially the blood-brain barrier, even when this is not the intended result.

 

The brain is the body's most protected organ. In order for the brain milieu to remain constant, the vessels supplying the brain are lined with a thick layer of endothelial cells. This network of vessels is itself surrounded by a further layer of astrocytes that only permit a controlled passage of substances from the blood into the brain. This is called the blood-brain barrier. Because of their minute size, nanoparticles are able to pass through this barrier and gain access to the brain.[1]  But they are being detected in other parts of the body, as well.

 

Nanoparticles are able to penetrate the lungs more deeply than their larger chemical counterparts, and thus enter the bloodstream through the lungs. When inhaled, nanoparticles can pass directly into the brain through the nasal mucous membrane. "Whether the particles continue to move about inside the brain and, if so, how they behave there, has yet to be determined."[2]

 

Nanoparticles that are ingested can pass through the intestines directly into the blood stream. Possible sources for nanoparticles in the digestive tract include drinking water and food additives, dust from the atmosphere that settles on food, traces of toothpaste that are inadvertently swallowed, and the abrasion of dental fillings and implants. They are also being injected directly into the body in the form of drugs.[3]  Since nanoparticles are not restrained by any tissue barrier, it could be possible for them to gain access to a foetus via the placental barrier, as well.[4]

 

Nanoparticles have been shown to disrupt biological processes and cause impairments, for example, to structural or metabolic processes. "Where exchanges take place between enzymes that can be intercepted or interrupted by nanoparticles, communication between neighbouring cells also seems to be influenced. Under certain circumstances, nanopartilces might also cause problems for the immune system."[5]

 

There is a decided imbalance between the degree of effort being undertaken to make products containing nanoparticles available and the lack of effort to determine the long-term effects on humans and the environment that this technology may cause.

More detailed information on the risks from nanotechnology is provided below.

To check a list of consumer products that contain nanoparticles that is being maintained by  the Woodrow Wilson Institute, please visit the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies website.

 

For more information on this important subject, please visit the International Council on Nanotechnology's website.

 

Action the Public Can Take Now

How to address the fact no labeling is required:

 

On most packages, there is a toll-free number that consumers can call to get more information about the product.  Call that number on every product that you think could possible contain nanotechnology. This could include cosmetics, household, automobile and garden products, and even over-the-counter drugs.  It can include computer products and clothing.

 

Ask your dentist if any products being used for dental care contain nanoparticles. If you dentist doesn't know for sure, ask that the manufacturer be contacted to make that determination.

 

Be sure to ask your physician if any prescription drugs that you are prescribed contain nanoparticles. If your physician doesn't know, ask that the manufacturer be contacted to make that determination.

 

Immediately Contact Your Representatives in the House and Senate

 

The widespread nature of the potential risk to public health and safety that nanotechnology presents requires that it be addressed at the federal level. Please contact your elected representatives today and urge them to support legislation that requires labeling on all products that contain nanoparticles, and that research into the risks be made a national priority.