Nanotechnology is still in its infancy but already some experts are expressing concern about the potential risks of using nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is concerned with manipulating matter almost at the atomic level. What that manipulation is designed to achieve depends very much on the area in which the technology is being applied. It may involve trying to make components that are microscopically small to be used in the manufacture of computer chips and integrated circuit boards. It may involve trying to give an object a property comparable to the same property of a rarer or more expensive item. Or it may involve trying to manipulate products in the food or medical industry.
Since nanotechnology works with material slightly above the atomic level, it is essentially concerned with creating new matter, or at least matter that is different in some way at the molecular level. What worries skeptics is that not enough research will be done into all of the properties of created objects and that may lead to harmful effects on the public.
To understand the safety concerns, it is necessary to have a little knowledge about how things work at the atomic level. Atoms are made up of molecules of elements which bind together to create a new product. Everyone knows that the chemical symbol for water is H2O which means that an atom of water consists of two atoms of the element hydrogen bound to one atom of the element oxygen. Water has its own unique properties which make it water and which are not shared by any other compound (although many will be very similar). We know that humans can ingest uncontaminated water without doing themselves any harm. But what if the manner in which the hydrogen and oxygen atoms bonded could be deliberately manipulated to form a slightly different type of bond? Would this alter the properties of the water possibly making it harmful to humans?
There are genuine reasons for this type of concern as can be demonstrated by examining carbon. Graphite (which is what makes pencils work) and diamond are both forms of pure carbon but bear no similarity to each other. Diamond is one of the hardest natural substances known, while graphite can be crumbled between the fingers. Graphite is a completely opaque dark color while diamond is shiny. As an electrical conductor diamond would be useless whereas graphite is a good conductor. What makes graphite and carbon so different from each other is down to the way the carbon atoms are joined to each other.
It is estimated that the current annual spend on nanotechnology is almost ten billion dollars yet virtually nothing is being spent on research into safety. Nanotechnology is set to influence every factor of human life in the future so safety is a vital issue especially in areas such as food, medicine and cosmetics where we will be ingesting this material. For example, experiments are in place to use nanotechnology to detect contaminants or spoilage in packed food items. When the food is ingested, so too will the detector.
Nanotechnology is concerned with manipulating matter almost at the atomic level. What that manipulation is designed to achieve depends very much on the area in which the technology is being applied. It may involve trying to make components that are microscopically small to be used in the manufacture of computer chips and integrated circuit boards. It may involve trying to give an object a property comparable to the same property of a rarer or more expensive item. Or it may involve trying to manipulate products in the food or medical industry.
Since nanotechnology works with material slightly above the atomic level, it is essentially concerned with creating new matter, or at least matter that is different in some way at the molecular level. What worries skeptics is that not enough research will be done into all of the properties of created objects and that may lead to harmful effects on the public.
To understand the safety concerns, it is necessary to have a little knowledge about how things work at the atomic level. Atoms are made up of molecules of elements which bind together to create a new product. Everyone knows that the chemical symbol for water is H2O which means that an atom of water consists of two atoms of the element hydrogen bound to one atom of the element oxygen. Water has its own unique properties which make it water and which are not shared by any other compound (although many will be very similar). We know that humans can ingest uncontaminated water without doing themselves any harm. But what if the manner in which the hydrogen and oxygen atoms bonded could be deliberately manipulated to form a slightly different type of bond? Would this alter the properties of the water possibly making it harmful to humans?
There are genuine reasons for this type of concern as can be demonstrated by examining carbon. Graphite (which is what makes pencils work) and diamond are both forms of pure carbon but bear no similarity to each other. Diamond is one of the hardest natural substances known, while graphite can be crumbled between the fingers. Graphite is a completely opaque dark color while diamond is shiny. As an electrical conductor diamond would be useless whereas graphite is a good conductor. What makes graphite and carbon so different from each other is down to the way the carbon atoms are joined to each other.
It is estimated that the current annual spend on nanotechnology is almost ten billion dollars yet virtually nothing is being spent on research into safety. Nanotechnology is set to influence every factor of human life in the future so safety is a vital issue especially in areas such as food, medicine and cosmetics where we will be ingesting this material. For example, experiments are in place to use nanotechnology to detect contaminants or spoilage in packed food items. When the food is ingested, so too will the detector.
