US government delays nanotechnology safet...( WASHINGTONWant to buy a bag of carbo...)

WASHINGTONWant to buy a bag of carbon nanotubesin quantities from a few grams to hundreds of kilograms (100 kilograms = approximately 220 pounds)? With a credit card and Internet access, you can. But is the U.S. government doing enough to ensure the safety of these materials and the hundreds of other nanotechnology commercial and consumer products currently on the market?

The answer is a resounding no, says Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies chief scientist Andrew Maynard. The materials safety data sheet for carbon nanotubeswhich provides workers and safety personnel with information on proper handling procedurestreats these substances as graphite, the material used in pencils. But carbon nanotubes are as similar to pencil lead as the soot on my barbeque grill at home is to diamonds.

According to Maynard, This is just one example of the yawning knowledge gap between the nanomaterials entering commerce now and their safety. And this uncertainty over how to develop nanotechnologies safely, hamstrings regulators, hinders nanobusiness, and confuses consumers.

Dr. Maynards remarks are from his testimony today at a hearing held by U.S. Congresss House Science Committee. A copy of his written statement is available online at www.nanotechproject.org.

According to Maynard, filling this knowledge gap will not be easy, but it is essential and must be done quickly if nanotechnology is to succeed. He recommends the following necessary steps:

• Establish a clear, top-down risk research strategy with the resources required to ensure its implementation;

• Create a new federal advisory committee to allow transparent input and review from industry, scientists, labor groups, nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders;

• Allocate approximately 10 percent of the U.S. governments nanotechnology research and development budget to goal-oriented nanotechnolog
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