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 The
National
Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is a research and
development program started by the federal government,
established to coordinate the nanotechnology efforts of
multiple government agencies. According to NNI, about 20,000
researchers around the world are currently engaged in work on
nanotechnology.
Several
professional and governmental agencies have expressed their
concern that further research be conducted on the potential
health effects of nanotechnology. The American
Public Health Association (APHA) has called for at least
100 million dollars of the total funding annually devoted to
the NNI be devoted to research on the occupational and
environmental health and safety implications of nanomaterials.
Similarly, the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is
emphasizing the urgent need for further research in this
arena.
In
December 2005, the EPA
released a nanotechnology "white paper" that provides an
overview of the field, its benefits and applications, a
toxicological review of available data, and research needs.
Most important it recommends that the EPA:
- encourage and
support approaches to promote pollution prevention,
sustainable resource use, and good product stewardship in
the production and use of
nanomaterials;
- support,
catalyze and undertake research on human health and
ecological impacts of
nanomaterials;
- conduct case
studies on the risks and information gaps of specific
nanomaterials;
- expand its
collaborations on the potential human and environmental
health implications;
- convene a
standing cross-agency group to share risk information and
regulatory activities; and
- expand its
activities to train agency scientists and managers about the
potential environmental applications and implications of
nanotechnologies.
The
Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) nanotechnology
project also recommends that some additional protections be
implemented. Their recommendations include some basic labeling
requirements, public disclosure of risk information, and
increased independent safety testing.
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