Nanotechnology goes full steam ahead

By Kaitlin Vandervoort

Nanotechnology is the study of controlling matter on an atomic or molecular scale. By being able to deconstruct then reassemble atoms into previously unknown material, nanotechnology has the potential to create numerous new materials and devices such as electronics, energy and medication. Anything from advances in medicine, food and even sports equipment can come from nanotechnology. This may sound promising, but nanotechnology also raises concerns about toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials. Many people think that nanotechnology could be a positive effect on society, but research shows differently.



Along with other concerns about nanotechnology, health fears are starting to grow. Molecular biologist, Benedict Trouiller, has been dousing the drinking water of lab mice with nano-titanium dioxide, the most common nanomaterial found in consumer products today, for the past two years. Halfway through the tests, the results had become alarming. When the mice had consumed the nanomaterial, it damaged or destroyed their DNA and chromosomes. The degree of DNA damage could be linked to all the big killers of humans, specifically cancer, heart disease, and neurological disease. According to the Environmental Working Group, nano-titanium dioxide is calculated to be in close to 10,000 over-the-counter products in one form or another. "[It’s] in everything from medicine capsules and nutritional supplements, to food icing and additives, to skin creams, oils and toothpaste," says Professor Robert Schiestl, a generic toxicologist who ran the lab at UCLA’s School of Public Health where Trouiller did her research.

Researchers found that carbon nanotubes, which are widely used in industrial applications, can penetrate the lungs deeper than asbestos and can cause fatal damage like asbestos does, except more rapidly. Many other nanoparticles, specifically ones composed of metal-chemical combinations, are able to cause cancer and birth defects, damage the heart, liver and other organs of lab animals. They may also lead to harmful buildups in many of the body’s systems.

Policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety, Jaydee Hanson, worries that the "danger is greater when nano-titanium dioxide is used in food." Ice cream companies and bread makers are using this nanomaterial to make ice cream "look richer and better textured," and make loaves of bread "shinier and help them keep microbe-free longer"

Researchers have found that due to the size of nanoparticles, they can enter the body through any pathway. The toxicity of a specific nanoparticle depends on its shape and chemical composition. "There is so much uncertainty about the questions of safety. We can’t tell you how safe or unsafe nanomaterials are. There is just too much we just don’t yet know," says Jim Alwood, nanotechnology coordinator of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

Even though this research shows that nanomaterials can be harmful, most federal agencies are taking no action to ensure public safety. Unfortunately, consumers have no way of knowing if the products they are purchasing contain nanomaterials because, under current U.S. laws, it is up to the manufacturer’s discretion what they want to put on their labels.

Unfortunately, society would like to see technology that can help people. Nanotechnology manufacterers should have shown the brighter side to everything in the begining but now, we might have to be careful with the products we use.