Nanotech Safety Needs Better Oversight

The U.S. government could better ensure the safe development and oversight of nanotechnology by taking a two-pronged approach similar to that used for promoting and regulating nuclear power, according to news from Environmental Defense.

Nanotechnology involves materials made of ultra-small, atom- or molecule-size particles. Nanomaterials demonstrate properties very different from regular materials of the same substances: copper, for example, becomes transparent at the nano-level. These unusual properties promise to help scientists develop whole new technologies, medicines and other products.

Ensuring that nanotechnology achieves its potential without posing health or environmental risks, though, is challenging, given that the same agency -- the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is responsible for both promoting the technology and overseeing its safety. The organization Environmental Defense recommends the federal government take a page from its nuclear power policy to better deal with that challenge.

Environmental Defense points to the history of nuclear power regulation in the U.S. Established in 1946, the Atomic Energy Commission was the first agency empowered with both promoting the use of nuclear power and regulating its safety. Eventually, concerns about possible conflicts of interest led Congress in 1975 to place development efforts under the U.S. Department of Energy while creating a new agency -- the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) -- to oversee nuclear power safety and conduct research into risks.

"Congress' decision to clearly separate the promotional and oversight functions was deemed necessary to reverse the loss of public trust in the federal government's ability to manage both roles," said Richard A. Denison, senior scientist with Environmental Defense. "While we make no representation as to the NRC's performance, we believe this prior experience may offer important lessons for managing the federal role in nanotechnology."

Rather than create a separate agency similar to the NRC, the federal government should set up an entity within the NNI that would have independent funding, management and authority to oversee nanotechnology risk research, Environmental Defense says.

"This entity should be directed by senior officials with environmental health training and experience," Denison said. "And there should be a clear separation in decision-making and management from the parts of the NNI whose mission is to help develop and advance nanotechnology."

Denison pointed to current concerns in the NNI system, in which senior officials have attempted to minimize evidence presented by their own scientists of possible risks from nanomaterials. He also cited a recently published review that found a "vast majority" of 400-plus scientific papers reported adverse effects of nanoparticles on laboratory animals or cells.

Consumers might not even realize how many nano-based products are already on the market. The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies has identified more than 450 commercial products made with nanomaterials, including hair gel, sports equipment, sunscreen and apparel.

Environmental Defense, "Potential Model for Restructuring National Nanotechnology Initiative Offered to Better Address Nano Risks." URL: (http://www.environmentaldefense.org/pressrelease.cfm?contentID=7346)