A dubious milestone: Number of 'nano' products reaches 1,000
Aug 31, 2009 3:29 PM
The only known inventory of consumer products listing nanoengineered ingredients, compiled by the Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), has hit a new milestone: More than 1,000 consumer products now contain the tiny particles. These synthetic compounds have structural dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers, or ten millionths of a meter. In that minute size range, chemicals can exhibit vastly different properties. They can make materials stronger, lighter, and more effective in their intended functions. On the down side, they can become more flammable, less stable, or more toxic. If ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, some may also reach parts of the body such as the brain or nerve tissue that larger substances can't, raising serious concerns about their effect on humans as well as the environment.
Increasingly, scientific evidence is raising red flags for consumers and especially for workers who have direct contact handling nanomaterials. The European Union plans to fund research into links between nanoscale ingredients in sunscreens and diesel additives and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. In China, factory workers who were exposed to nanoscale polyacrylates in extreme conditions fell ill with serious respiratory conditions. Two died. While many experts don't expect the nanoscale materials involved in those cases to be used in consumer products, the incident illustrates the need for greater controls and tracking of nanomaterials.
When PEN started in March 2006, its inventory listed 212 nano consumer products. Despite PEN's growing list, there's still no comprehensive government effort to assess the safety of nanoscale ingredients in commercial and consumer products, or to require any pre-market safety testing. Consumers Union joined PEN and other public and industry organizations in pressing the Consumer Product Safety Commission to swiftly implement parts of its strategic plan that call for research and regulatory action on the possible risks of nanomaterials.
Increasingly, scientific evidence is raising red flags for consumers and especially for workers who have direct contact handling nanomaterials. The European Union plans to fund research into links between nanoscale ingredients in sunscreens and diesel additives and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. In China, factory workers who were exposed to nanoscale polyacrylates in extreme conditions fell ill with serious respiratory conditions. Two died. While many experts don't expect the nanoscale materials involved in those cases to be used in consumer products, the incident illustrates the need for greater controls and tracking of nanomaterials.
When PEN started in March 2006, its inventory listed 212 nano consumer products. Despite PEN's growing list, there's still no comprehensive government effort to assess the safety of nanoscale ingredients in commercial and consumer products, or to require any pre-market safety testing. Consumers Union joined PEN and other public and industry organizations in pressing the Consumer Product Safety Commission to swiftly implement parts of its strategic plan that call for research and regulatory action on the possible risks of nanomaterials.
For more information on nanoscale materials, read Nanotechnology: Untold promise, unknown risk.
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