AlphaGalileo---Nanotechnology
offers many potential benefits, but its development
must be guided by appropriate safety assessments and
regulation to minimise any possible risks to people
and the environment, according to a report published
today (29 July 2004) by the Royal Society and the Royal
Academy of Engineering.
The report was commissioned by the UK Government last
year to consider current and future developments in
nanotechnology. It identifies a range of potential benefits
to be gained from nanoscience and nanotechnologies including
new materials, more powerful computers and revolutionary
medical techniques. The report recommends steps to realise
these while minimising possible future uncertainties
and risks.
Nanoscience and nanotechnologies involve the study and
use of materials at an extremely small scale – at sizes
of millionths of a millimetre – and exploit the fact
that some materials have different properties at this
ultra small scale from those at a larger scale.
These properties are currently exploited in the development
of computer chips and electronic goods such as mobile
phones and DVD players. In the future nanoscience and
nanotechnologies may lead to cheaper and more efficient
ways of purifying water and generating solar energy,
and possible new methods of cleaning up contaminated
ground. They may also deliver ways of targeting drugs
to specific parts of the body, artificial implants for
those with impaired hearing and eyesight, as well as
tiny sensors which could be used for security, health
screening or even to detect how fresh food is.
The report concludes that most nanotechnologies pose
no new risks, but highlights uncertainties about the
potential effects on human health and the environment
of manufactured ‘nanoparticles’ and ‘nanotubes’ – ultra
small pieces of material – if they are released.
Nanoparticles are already present in large numbers in
the air from natural sources and due to combustion and
vehicle exhaust emissions. Manufactured nanoparticles
are currently used for applications such as ultra violet
filters in sunscreens.
The report recommends that the UK Government should
fund a programme of research to understand the effects
of such particles on humans and the environment.
Professor Ann Dowling, chair of the working group that
produced the report, said: “This report has confirmed
the great potential of nanotechnologies. Most areas
present no new health or safety risks, but where particles
are concerned, size really does matter. Nanoparticles
can behave quite differently from larger particles of
the same material and this can be exploited in a number
of exciting ways. But it is vital that we determine
both the positive and negative effects they might have.”
Because
of their novel chemical properties, the report recommends
that nanoparticles and nanotubes should be treated
as new chemicals under UK and European legislation,
in order to trigger appropriate safety tests and clear
labelling. Furthermore they should be approved – separately
from chemicals in a larger form – by an independent
scientific safety committee before they are permitted
for use in consumer products such as cosmetics. Such
approval has been given for the use of nanoparticles
of titanium dioxide in sunscreens. The report also
calls for industry to publish details of safety tests
showing that the novel properties of nanoparticles
have been taken into account.
Professor Dowling said: “There is a gap in the current
regulation of nanoparticles. They have different properties
from the same chemical in larger form, but currently
their production does not trigger additional testing.
It is important that the regulations are tightened
up so that nanoparticles are assessed, both in terms
of testing and labelling, as new chemicals.”
The report does not find any justification for imposing
a ban on the production of nanoparticles. However,
as a precautionary measure it recommends that releases
to the environment be minimised until the effects
are better understood. The Health and Safety Executive
have issued interim guidance about nanoparticles in
the workplace. The report recommends that the Health
and Safety Executive should review existing regulations
and consider setting lower exposure levels for manufactured
nanoparticles, in order to provide the proper protection
for workers in, for example, university laboratories.
The report recommends that the UK Government should
initiate a properly funded public dialogue around
the development of nanotechnologies at a stage when
such discussions can inform key decisions about their
development and before deeply entrenched or polarised
positions appear.
Professor Dowling said: “Nanotechnologies clearly
offer exciting possibilities which could benefit society
as a whole. Our report separates the hype and hypothetical
from the reality and now we need research in areas
of uncertainty and appropriate regulation to ensure
that nanotechnologies develop in a safe and socially
acceptable way.”
Notes
1. The report’s working group were: Prof Ann Dowling,
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Cambridge; Prof Roland Clift, Director of the Centre
for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey;
Dr Nicole Grobert, University of Oxford; Dame Deidre
Hutton, Chair of the National Consumer Council; Dr
Ray Oliver, Senior Science and Technology Associate
in the Strategic Technology Group, ICI plc; Baroness
Onora O’Neill, University of Cambridge; Prof John
Pethica, Visiting Professor, Department of Materials,
University of Oxford; Prof Nick Pidgeon, Director
of the Centre for Environmental Risk, University of
East Anglia; Jonathon Porritt, Chair of the UK Sustainable
Development Commission and Programme Director of Forum
for the Future; Prof John Ryan, Director of the Interdisciplinary
Research Collaboration on Bionanotechnology, based
at the University of Oxford; Prof Anthony Seaton,
Emeritus Professor of Environmental and Occupational
Medicine, University of Aberdeen and Honorary Senior
Consultant, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh;
Prof Saul Tendler, Head of the School of Pharmacy
and Professor of Biophysical Chemistry, University
of Nottingham; Prof Mark Welland, Director of the
Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Nanotechnology,
based at the University of Cambridge; Prof Roger Whatmore,
Head of the Advanced Materials Department, Cranfield
University.
2. The Royal Society is an independent academy promoting
the natural and applied sciences. Founded in 1660,
the Society has three roles, as the UK academy of
science, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency.
The Society’s objectives are to:
• strengthen UK science by providing support to excellent
individuals
• fund excellent research to push back the frontiers
of knowledge
• attract and retain the best scientists
• ensure the UK engages with the best science around
the world
• support science communication and education; and
communicate and encourage dialogue with the public
• provide the best independent advice nationally and
internationally
• promote scholarship and encourage research into
the history of science
3. Founded in 1976, the Royal Academy of Engineering
promotes the engineering and technological welfare
of the country. Our fellowship - comprising the UK’s
most eminent engineers - provides the leadership and
expertise for our activities, which focus on the relationships
between engineering, technology, and the quality of
life. As a national academy, we provide independent
and impartial advice to Government; work to secure
the next generation of engineers; and provide a voice
for Britain’s engineering community.
4. The Office of Science and Technology commissioned
the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering
in July 2003 to carry out a study to:
• define what is meant by nanoscience and nanotechnology;
• summarise the current scientific knowledge on nanotechnology;
• identify applications of nanotechnology, both currently
and potentially, with indications of when they might
be developed;
• consider environmental, health and safety, ethical
and social implications of the technology, both now
and in the future; and
• suggest areas where additional regulation should
be considered.
5. Currently public awareness of nanotechnologies
is very low. An awareness survey conducted as part
of the study showed that only 29 per cent of people
had heard of ‘nanotechnology’ and 19 per cent were
able to offer a definition of the term.
Reference URL
http://www.nanotec.org.uk
For further information, please contact:
Jane Sutton
Royal Academy of Engineering
jane.sutton@raeng.org.uk
020 7227 0536
Posted By:
Royal Academy of Engineering |
