What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to
100 nanometers.
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used
across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, and engineering.
Uses of Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is helping to considerably improve, even revolutionize, many technology and industry
sectors: information technology, energy, environmental science, medicine, homeland security, food
safety, and transportation, among many others. Described below is a sampling of the rapidly growing list
of benefits and applications of nanotechnology.
Everyday materials and processes

Nanoscale additives in polymer composite materials for baseball bats, tennis rackets, motorcycle
helmets, automobile bumpers, luggage, and power tool housings can make them simultaneously
lightweight, stiff, durable, and resilient.

Nanoscale additives to or surface treatments of fabrics help them resist wrinkling, staining, and
bacterial growth, and provide lightweight ballistic energy deflection in personal body armor.

Nanoscale thin films on eyeglasses, computer and camera displays, windows, and other surfaces
can make them water-repellent, antireflective, self-cleaning, resistant to ultraviolet or infrared
light, antifog, antimicrobial, scratch-resistant, or electrically conductive.

Nanoscale materials in cosmetic products provide greater clarity or coverage; cleansing;

absorption; personalization; and antioxidant, anti-microbial, and other health properties in
sunscreens, cleansers, complexion treatments, creams and lotions, shampoos, and specialized
makeup.

Nano-engineered materials in the food industry include nanocomposites in food containers to

minimize carbon dioxide leakage out of carbonated beverages, or reduce oxygen inflow, moisture
outflow, or the growth of bacteria in order to keep food fresher and safer, longer. Nanosensors
built into plastic packaging can warn against spoiled food. Nanosensors are being developed to
detect salmonella, pesticides, and other contaminates on food before packaging and distribution.

 Nano-engineered materials in
automotive products include high-power
rechargeable battery systems; thermoelectric
materials for temperature control; lowerrolling-resistance tires; high-efficiency/lowcost sensors and electronics; thin-film smart
solar panels; and fuel additives and improved
catalytic converters for cleaner exhaust and
extended range.

High-resolution image of a polymer-silicate

nanocomposite. This material has improved thermal,
mechanical, and barrier properties and can be used in
food and beverage containers, fuel storage tanks for
aircraft and automobiles, and in aerospace components.
(Image courtesy of NASA.)

Nano-engineered materials make

superior household products such as degreasers
and stain removers; environmental sensors,
alert systems, air purifiers and filters;
antibacterial cleansers; and specialized paints
and sealing products.

Nanostructured ceramic coatings

exhibit much greater toughness than
conventional wear-resistant coatings for
machine parts. In 2000, the U.S. Navy
qualified such a coating for use on gears of air-conditioning units for its ships, saving $20 million
in maintenance costs over 10 years. Such coatings can extend the lifetimes of moving parts in
everything from power tools to industrial machinery.

Nanoparticles are used increasingly in catalysis to boost chemical reactions. This reduces the
quantity of catalytic materials necessary to produce desired results, saving money and reducing
pollutants. Two big applications are in petroleum refining and in automotive catalytic converters.
Electronics and Information Technology

Nanotechnology is already in use in many computing, communications, and other electronics applications
to provide faster, smaller, and more portable systems that can manage and store larger and larger amounts
of information. These continuously evolving applications include:

Nanoscale transistors that are faster, more powerful, and increasingly energy-efficient; soon your
computers entire memory may be stored on a single tiny chip.

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) enabled by nanometerscale magnetic tunnel junctions
that can quickly and effectively save even encrypted data during a system shutdown or crash, enable
resumeplay features, and gather vehicle accident data.

Displays for many new TVs, laptop computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other devices
incorporate nanostructured polymer films known as organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. OLED
screens offer brighter images in a flat format, as well as wider viewing angles, lighter weight, better
picture density, lower power consumption, and longer lifetimes.

Other computing and electronic products include Flash memory chips for iPod nanos; ultraresponsive
hearing aids; antimicrobial/antibacterial coatings on mouse/keyboard/cell phone casings; conductive
inks for printed electronics for RFID/smart cards/smart packaging; more life-like video games; and
flexible displays for e-book readers.

The difficulty of meeting the worlds energy demand is compounded by the growing need to protect our
environment. Many scientists are looking into ways to develop clean, affordable, and renewable energy
sources, along with means to reduce energy consumption and lessen toxicity burdens on the environment.

Prototype solar panels incorporating nanotechnology are more efficient than standard designs in
converting sunlight to electricity, promising inexpensive solar power in the future. Nanostructured
solar cells already are cheaper to manufacture and easier to install, since they can use print-like
manufacturing processes and can be made in flexible rolls rather than discrete panels. Newer research
suggests that future
solar converters might
even be paintable.

Nanotechnology is
improving the efficiency
of fuel production from
normal and low-grade
raw petroleum materials
through better catalysis,
as well as fuel
consumption efficiency
in vehicles and power
plants through higherefficiency combustion
and decreased friction.

Nano-bioengineering of
enzymes is aiming to
enable conversion of
cellulose into ethanol
for fuel, from wood
chips, corn stalks (not
just the kernels, as
today), unfertilized
New solar panel films incorporate nanoparticles to create lightwieght,
perennial grasses, etc. flexible solar cells. (Image courtesy of Nanosys

Nanotechnology is already being used in numerous new kinds of batteries that are less flammable,
quicker-charging, more efficient, lighter weight, and that have a higher power density and hold
electrical charge longer. One new lithium-ion battery type uses a common, nontoxic virus in an
environmentally benign production process.

Nanostructured materials are being pursued to greatly improve hydrogen membrane and storage
materials and the catalysts needed to realize fuel cells for alternative transportation technologies at
reduced cost. Researchers are also working to develop a safe, lightweight hydrogen fuel tank.

Various nanoscience-based options are being pursued to convert waste heat in computers,
automobiles, homes, power plants, etc., to usable electrical power.

An epoxy containing carbon nanotubes is being used to make windmill blades that are longer,
stronger, and lighter-weight than other blades to increase the amount of electricity that windmills can
generate.

Researchers are developing wires containing carbon nanotubes to have much lower resistance than
the high-tension wires currently used in the electric grid and thus reduce transmission power loss.

To power mobile electronic devices, researchers are developing thin-film solar electric panels that can
be fitted onto computer cases and flexible piezoelectric nanowires woven into clothing to generate
usable energy on-the-go from light, friction, and/or body heat.

Energy efficiency products are increasing in number and kinds of application. In addition to those
noted above, they include more efficient lighting systems for vastly reduced energy consumption for
illumination; lighter and stronger vehicle chassis materials for the transportation sector; lower energy
consumption in advanced electronics; low-friction nano-engineered lubricants for all kinds of higherefficiency machine gears, pumps, and fans; light-responsive smart coatings for glass to complement
alternative heating/cooling schemes; and high-light-intensity, fast-recharging lanterns for emergency
crews.

Besides lighter cars and machinery that requires less fuel, and alternative fuel and energy sources, there
are many eco-friendly applications for nanotechnology, such as materials that provide clean water from
polluted water sources in both large-scale and portable applications, and ones that detect and clean up
environmental contaminants.

Nanotechnology could help meet the need for affordable, clean drinking water through rapid, lowcost detection of impurities in and filtration and purification of water. For example, researchers have
discovered unexpected magnetic interactions between ultrasmall specks of rust, which can help
remove arsenic or carbon tetrachloride from water (see image); they are developing nanostructured
filters that can remove virus cells from water; and they are investigating a deionization method using
nano-sized fiber electrodes to reduce the cost and energy requirements of removing salts from water.

Nanorust cleans arsenic from drinking water.

Nanoparticles will someday be used to

clean industrial water pollutants in ground water
through chemical reactions that render them harmless, at much lower cost than methods that require
pumping the water out of the ground for treatment.

(Image courtesy of Rice University)

Researchers have developed a nanofabric "paper towel," woven from tiny wires of potassium
manganese oxide, that can absorb 20 times its weight in oil for cleanup applications.

Many airplane cabin and other types of air filters are nanotechnology-based filters that allow
mechanical filtration, in which the fiber material creates nanoscale pores that trap particles larger
than the size of the pores. They also may contain charcoal layers that remove odors. Almost 80% of
the cars sold in the U.S. include built-in nanotechnology-based filters.

New nanotechnology-enabled sensors and solutions may one day be able to detect, identify, and filter
out, and/or neutralize harmful chemical or biological agents in the air and soil with much higher
sensitivity than is possible today. Researchers around the world are investigating carbon nanotube
scrubbers, and membranes to separate carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust. And researchers
are investigating particles such as self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS),
dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and metalloporphyrinogens to determine how to apply their unique
chemical and physical properties for various kinds of toxic site remediation.

Nanotechnology has the real potential to revolutionize a wide array of medical and biotechnology tools
and procedures so that they are more personalized, portable, cheaper, safer, and easier to administer.
Below are some examples of important advances in these areas.

Quantum dots are semiconducting nanocrystals that can enhance biological imaging for medical
diagnostics. When illuminated with ultraviolet light, they emit a wide spectrum of bright colors that
can be used to locate and identify specific kinds of cells and biological activities. These crystals offer
optical detection up to 1,000 times better than conventional dyes used in many biological tests, such
as MRIs, and render significantly more information.

Nanotechnology has been used in the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in
arteries. Researchers have developed an imaging technology to measure the amount of an antibodynanoparticle complex that accumulates specifically in plaque. Clinical scientists are able to monitor
the development of plaque as well as its disappearance following treatment (see image).

Before (left) and after (right) picture of atherosclerotic placque in a mouse artery. Placque accumulation
is shown in this image by the increasing intensity of color, from blue to yellow and red. (Image courtesy
of M. Nahrendorf, MGH Center for Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School)

Gold nanoparticles can be used to detect early-stage Alzheimers disease.

Molecular imaging for the early detection where sensitive biosensors constructed of nanoscale
components (e.g., nanocantilevers, nanowires, and nanochannels) can recognize genetic and
molecular events and have reporting capabilities, thereby offering the potential to detect rare
molecular signals associated with malignancy.

Multifunctional therapeutics where a nanoparticle serves as a platform to facilitate its specific

targeting to cancer cells and delivery of a potent treatment, minimizing the risk to normal tissues.

Research enablers such as microfluidic chip-based nanolabs capable of monitoring and manipulating
individual cells and nanoscale probes to track the movements of cells and individual molecules as
they move about in their environments.

Research is underway to use nanotechnology to spur the growth of nerve cells, e.g., in damaged
spinal cord or brain cells. In one method, a nanostuctured gel fills the space between existing cells
and encourages new cells to grow. There is early work on this in the optical nerves of hamsters.
Another method is exploring use of nanofibers to regenerate damaged spinal nerves in mice.

In addition to contributing to building and maintaining lighter, smarter, more efficient, and greener
vehicles, aircraft, and ships, nanotechnology offers various means to improve the transportation
infrastructure:

Nano-engineering of steel, concrete, asphalt, and other cementitious materials, and their recycled
forms, offers great promise in terms of improving the performance, resiliency, and longevity of
highway and transportation infrastructure components while reducing their cost. New systems may
incorporate innovative capabilities into traditional infrastructure materials, such as the ability to
generate or transmit energy.

Nanoscale sensors and devices may provide cost-effective continuous structural monitoring of the
condition and performance of bridges, tunnels, rails, parking structures, and pavements over time.
Nanoscale sensors and devices may also support an enhanced transportation infrastructure that can
communicate with vehicle-based systems to help drivers maintain lane position, avoid collisions,
adjust travel routes to circumnavigate congestion, and other such activities.

Future sensor systems will be able to use multiple physical phenomena to sense many
analytes simultaneously for a variety of applications, some of which are noted above.
Illustrated here are (left to right) an optical tranducer, which measures light; an
electro/chemical tranducer, which measures electrical properties; a magnetic tranducer,
which measures changes to the local magnetic field; and a mechanical transducer, which
detects changes in motion. (Image by N.R. Fuller, Sayo-Art.)
Nanotechnology is already in use in many computing, communications, and other electronics applications
to provide faster, smaller, and more portable systems that can manage and store larger and larger amounts
of information. These continuously evolving applications include:

Nanoscale transistors that are faster, more powerful, and increasingly energy-efficient; soon your
computers entire memory may be stored on a single tiny chip.

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) enabled by nanometerscale magnetic tunnel junctions
that can quickly and effectively save even encrypted data during a system shutdown or crash, enable
resumeplay features, and gather vehicle accident data.

Displays for many new TVs, laptop computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other devices
incorporate nanostructured polymer films known as organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. OLED
screens offer brighter images in a flat format, as well as wider viewing angles, lighter weight, better
picture density, lower power consumption, and longer lifetimes.

Other computing and electronic products include Flash memory chips for iPod nanos; ultraresponsive
hearing aids; antimicrobial/antibacterial coatings on mouse/keyboard/cell phone casings; conductive
inks for printed electronics for RFID/smart cards/smart packaging; more life-like video games; and
flexible displays for e-book readers.

THE BAD SIDE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Heres a quick look at some of the negative consequences predicted for nanotechnology:

Health: Nanoparticles have been shown to be absorbed in the livers of research animals and even
cause brain damage in fish exposed to them after just 48 hours. If they can be taken up by cells, then
they can enter our food chain through bacteria and pose a health threat like mercury in fish, pesticides
in vegetables or hormones in meat. The increasingly-popular carbon nanotube (20x stronger and
lighter than steel) looks very much like an asbestos fiber what happens if they get released into the
air? Being carbon-based, they wouldnt set off the usual alarms in our bodies, making them difficult
to detect.

Environmental: If nanomaterials really are as strong as diamonds, how decomposable or persistent

are they? Will they litter our environment further or present another disposal problem like nuclear
waste or space litter? In the distant future, will self-replicating nanobots necessary to create the
trillions of nanoassemblers needed to build any kind of product run amok, spreading as quickly as a
virus, in the infamous gray goo scenario?

Privacy: As products shrink in size, eavesdropping devices too can become invisible to the naked eye
and more mobile, making it easier to invade our privacy. Small enough to plant into our bodies,
mind-controlling nanodevices may be able to affect our thoughts by manipulating brain-processes.

Terrorism: Capabilities of terrorists go hand in hand with military advances, so as weapons become
more powerful and portable, these devices can also be turned against us. Nanotech may create new,
unimaginable forms of torture disassembling a person at the molecular level or worse. Radical
groups could let loose nanodevices targeting to kill anyone with a certain skin color or even a specific
person.

Society: With all the potential abuses of nanotech, many experts advocate a strong system to regulate
and monitor nanotech developments. But because nanotech laboratories can be small and mobile,
surveillance needs to be practically everywhere devolving a free society into a Big Brother
scenario. Also, what is the impact on the economy? If nations can make anything they want, will
they lose all incentive to trade? What about morality should we be playing with god-like powers?

According to Karl Schwarz (Nanotechnology- the good and bad)

1. Particle size does indeed matter. A small enough particle of cotton has been proven to create
malignant tumors in lab animals. As I stated in the first Russian article, do we ban cotton or do
we push the research forward to where we can cure any disease?

2. Hyperventilating about particle size does no good because nanoparticles of virtually every
element have existed since the creation of the Universe. Mankind did not invent nanotechnology,
God did. ET would have to be expert at nanotechnology to have taken the steps up the scientific
and technological ladder. All mankind has done is develop the technology and means to perform
nanotechnology. We did not create the elements that are the fabric of our planet, which range in
size from atoms, to nanoparticles, to Mt Everest and the planet Earth itself. Said another way, our

home planet Earth is an agglomeration of nanoparticles and our species created none of it. The
entire Universe is an agglomeration of atoms and nanoparticles.

3. I have seen many articles, but no valid scientific reports, about the evils of carbon
nanotechnology. That is one of our specialties. Carbon nanotubes have also been around on this
planet since it was created. Under the right circumstances volcanoes, forest fires, burning of crop
lands after harvest, campfires, fireplaces, the making and burning of charcoal on the backyard
grill all create low purity carbon nanotubes. One study found carbon nanotubes in the dark
pigments used by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. One can go back to the days of
Neanderthal cave paintings and find nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes even way back then.

4. If one wants to freak out regarding carbon nanotubes, diesel engines also create low purity carbon
nanotubes when the naphtha base of the diesel is exposed to heat and pressure. So, as long as
there have been diesel engines there have been low purity carbon nanotubes and what are called
Bucky-balls spewing out all around every person. To date, no study has ever made a connection
that those diesel created carbon nanotubes have any affect whatsoever on health. The other
hydrocarbon emissions are another matter, but it is the nanotechnology and nano-scale that is the
issue. In carbon nanotechnology there is no proof whatsoever that it has any effect on us as
carbon-based life forms.

5.

These new bio-diesel fuels will also be spewing out low purity, low grade carbon nanotubes.

As far as 'the next asbestos' boogeyman mentioned above from the Daniell's article, toxicology
researchers such as Dr. Burdock would be wise to focus on the true effects of what current pollution has
done to the environment and its toxicology on all life forms on this planet. That is a far bigger threat to
mankind than nanotechnology. Unlike our current technologies, nanotechnology can be applied to reverse
much of the harmful effects that the Industrial and IT Revolutions have left behind.

Disadvantages of Nanotechnology
When tackling the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology, you will also need to point out what
can be seen as the negative side of this technology:

Included in the list of disadvantages of this science and its development is the possible loss of
jobs in the traditional farming and manufacturing industry.
You will also find that the development of nanotechnology can also bring about the crash of
certain markets due to the lowering of the value of oil and diamonds due to the possibility of
developing alternative sources of energy that are more efficient and wont require the use of fossil
fuels. This can also mean that since people can now develop products at the molecular level,
diamonds will also lose its value since it can now be mass produced.

Atomic weapons can now be more accessible and made to be more powerful and more
destructive. These can also become more accessible with nanotechnology.
Since these particles are very small, problems can actually arise from the inhalation of these
minute particles, much like the problems a person gets from inhaling minute asbestos particles.
Presently, nanotechnology is very expensive and developing it can cost you a lot of money. It is
also pretty difficult to manufacture, which is probably why products made with nanotechnology
are more expensive.

Read more: http://nanogloss.com/nanotechnology/advantages-and-disadvantages-ofnanotechnology/#ixzz3JJ42WHBN

Loose in the environment
good
Some nanoparticles are very effective at removing contaminants from the environment. (Scientists have
had great success using nanoparticles to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, and dioxin
from industrial sites, and arsenic, salts, and trichloroethelyne (TCE), for example, from contaminated
water.)
bad
Silver nanoparticles, used as antimicrobial agents, may harm beneficial microbes when loose in the
environment. And materials entering the bottom of the food chain have a habit of affecting organisms
including peoplemuch higher up the chain.
Floating in the air
good
Scientists are working to create nanosensors able to detect and monitor pollutants with amazing
sensitivity. These sensors could detect even the smallest amounts of contaminants and even the presence
of dangerous bacteria. Sensors could be deployed around industrial zones and alert surrounding
communities to a leak into the groundwater.
bad
Certain nanoparticles, when breathed in, may cause damage to lung tissue and chronic breathing
problems. And some nanoparticlesunlike other inhaled particlesmay be able to move from the lungs
to the bloodstream, or the bloodstream to the brain. (Studies show that nanoparticles accumulate in the
nasal passages, lungs, and brains of rats. Nanotubes placed directly into rat lungs caused granulomas
limps of irritated tissue that can interfere with oxygen absorption. And largemouth bass exposed to
nanoparticles in water developed brain inflammation.)
Hey let's go inside that cell!
good

Many of the processes of the cell operate on the nanoscale. By coating nanoparticles of medicine in
special chemicals we can make treatments that target specific groups of cells. Liver drugs would target
the liver only. Cancer treatments meant to kill harmful cells would avoid killing healthy cells.
Instead of bathing the body in harmful levels of drugs we could give a patient tiny amounts of a drug
targeted to the problem.
bad
Because nanoparticles are so small, they can get inside living cells, and theres evidence they may cause
damage when they do. (Some particles are so small they don't trigger the body's immune responses once
they're inside cells. And other nanoparticles seem to bond to DNA and deform its structure.) The Action
Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, an activist group, says,
"The ability to slip past the immune system may be desirable for drug delivery, but what happens when
uninvited nanoparticles come calling? In other words, once nanotechnologists have figured out how to
distract the bouncer at the door, how can you be sure you're still keeping out the riff-raff?"

THE GOOD SIDE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

Advantages of Nanotechnology
To enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology, let us first run through the good
things this technology brings:

Nanotechnology can actually revolutionize a lot of electronic products, procedures, and

applications. The areas that benefit from the continued development of nanotechnology when it
comes to electronic products include nano transistors, nano diodes, OLED, plasma displays,
quantum computers, and many more.
Nanotechnology can also benefit the energy sector. The development of more effective energyproducing, energy-absorbing, and energy storage products in smaller and more efficient devices is
possible with this technology. Such items like batteries, fuel cells, and solar cells can be built
smaller but can be made to be more effective with this technology.
Another industry that can benefit from nanotechnology is the manufacturing sector that will need
materials like nanotubes, aerogels, nano particles, and other similar items to produce their
products with. These materials are often stronger, more durable, and lighter than those that are not
produced with the help of nanotechnology.
In the medical world, nanotechnology is also seen as a boon since these can help with creating
what is called smart drugs. These help cure people faster and without the side effects that other
traditional drugs have. You will also find that the research of nanotechnology in medicine is now
focusing on areas like tissue regeneration, bone repair, immunity and even cures for such ailments
like cancer, diabetes, and other life threatening diseases.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Positive
Efficiency and Environmental Friendliness
'Molecular Scale Manufacturing ensures that very little raw material is wasted and that we make only what
we intend to make, no more. Factories begin to look more like clean rooms'

Rogers, B Adams, J & Pennathur, S

(2008) Nanotechnology Understanding Small Systems. Boca Raton: Taylor and Francis Group.

A study in 2007 details how nanomaterials can be created that are not only safe, but also cost less and
perform better than conventional materials. "Green Nanotechnology: It's Easier Than You Think," was
written by the Washington D.C. think tank, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The
study, which is free online, is based on a series of dialogues with scientists, policymakers and industry
representatives about green nanotechnology.

Financial Benefits for Countries involved in Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is expected to be a $2.6 trillion market by 2015.[30] Each country involved, including
Ireland, have a bright financial future ahead when it comes to gaining money with nanotechnology. For us
in Ireland nanotechnology has received excellent funding which is good to hear as nanotechnology could
be a useful ploy in helping with our current national financial situation.

Negative
Weapons of War
On the instrumental level, concerns include the possibility of military applications of nanotechnology (for
instance, as in implants and other means for soldier enhancement like those being developed at the
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT) as well as enhanced surveillance capabilities through nanosensors. There is also the possibility of nanotechnology being used to develop chemical weapons and
because they will be able to develop the chemicals from the atom scale up, critics fear that chemical
weapons developed from nano particles will be more dangerous than present chemical weapons.

Fear of the Unknown

Nanotechnology is quite a new concept and some effects are time dependent so it's difficult for experts to
predict the damage nanoparticles might do. There are concerns about how nano-particles may
accumulate in nature. Could large amounts be ingested by fish? And if so, would if be harmful? Would the
particles be passed along the food chain like DDT. Thresholds need to be determined. It's vital to find out
how to remove or simply detect nanomaterials if they become problematic.
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), also Washington-based, says it has inventoried more
than 600 consumer products in 20 countries with nano-scale materials, and "new nanotech products are
hitting the market at the rate of three to four per week." The interest in nanomaterials is coming at a time
of growing awareness of how chemicals many of which we don't know are manufactured into the

products we use on a daily basis may be causing us harm.

What happens to nanoparticles such as silver nanoparticles which are used quite a bit, for example is
certain socks? In an experiment reported at the American Chemical Society meeting, two Arizona State
University scientists, Troy Benn and Paul Westerhoff, washed seven brands of nanosilver socks and then
tested the wastewater. All but one pair leaked silver.That silver, of course, ends up in our sewers, rivers
and lakes. Results like this have strengthened the calls among scientists and environmentalists for a
closer examination of nanoparticles and their effects on humans and the environment. You can find
nanosilver in products from clothing and shoes to mattresses and pillows to appliances like Samsung's
SilverCare washers, and Conair's Infiniti Nano Silver hair straighteners. The TTC also intends to paint the
stanchions in its new subway cars with antimicrobial silver. Considering how quickly the market is
expanding worldwide, scientists doubt that current regulations are sufficient. They also point out the lack
of regulations that specifically address nanoparticles and say that not enough is being spent on their
health effects. For the full article on this click here. [52]
Of the US$710 million spent in 2002 by the U.S. government on nanotechnology research, only $500,000
was spent on environmental impact assessments.

False Hype
Some worry that nanotechnology will end up like virtual reality -- in other words, the hype surrounding
nanotechnology will continue to build until the limitations of the field become public knowledge, and then
interest (and funding) will quickly dissipate.

Social Justice and Civil Liberties

''Those nations, governments, organizations, and citizens who are unaware of this impending power shift
must be informed and enabled so that they may adequately adapt'' James Canton, President of the
Institute for Global Futures, said of nanotechnology and its disruptive economical potential.
Social justice and civil libertiesConcerns are frequently raised that the claimed benefits of nanotechnology

will not be evenly distributed, and that any benefits (including technical and/or economic) associated with
nanotechnology will only reach affluent nations. The majority of nanotechnology research and
development - and patents for nanomaterials and products - is concentrated in developed countries
(including the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada and France). In addition, most patents related to
nanotechnology are concentrated amongst few multinational corporations, including IBM, Micron
Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. This has led to fears that it will be unlikely that
developing countries will have access to the infrastructure, funding and human resources required to
support nanotechnology research and development, and that this is likely to exacerbate such inequalities.
The agriculture and food industries demonstrate the concentration of nanotechnology related patents.
Patents over seeds, plant material, animal and other agri-food techniques are already concentrated
amongst a few corporations. This is anticipated to increase the cost of farming, by increasing farmers'
input dependence. This may marginalize poorer farmers, including those living in developing
countries. Scrinis G, and Lyons K (2007). "The Emerging Nano-Corporate Paradigm and the
Transformation of Agri-Food Systems". International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food 15.
Producers in developing countries could also be disadvantaged by the replacement of natural products
(including rubber, cotton, coffee and tea) by developments in nanotechnology. These natural products are
important export crops for developing countries, and many farmers' livelihoods depend on them. It has
been argued that their substitution with industrial nano-products could negatively impact the economies of
developing countries, that have traditionally relied on these export crops. [8]
It is proposed that nanotechnology can only be effective in alleviating poverty and aid development "when
adapted to social, cultural and local institutional contexts, and chosen and designed with the active
participation by citizens right from the commencement point" (Invernizzi et al. 2008, p. 132)

2 nanoparticles which are already in use even before

Nanogels

Gene and drug delivery

Bicelles

Topical delivery

Examples of materials in crystalline nanoparticle form are fullerenes and carbon nanotubes,
while traditional crystalline solid forms are graphite and diamond