Setting the nanotech research agenda

Center for Nanotechnology in SocietyUniversity of California, Santa Barbara www.cns.ucsb.edu W EEKLY C LIPS January 14 - 28, 2008 Weekly Clips from CNS-UCSB are now available online: htt

Center for Nanotechnology in Society

University of California, Santa

Barbara www.cns.ucsb.edu

W EEKLY C LIPS

January 14 - 28, 2008

Weekly Clips from CNS-UCSB are now available online:

http://www.cns.ucsb.edu/clips/

January 15, 2008

Setting the nanotech research

agenda

By Andrew Maynard

In December 2003, President George W Bush signed the Twenty-first Century Nanotechnology Research & Development Act, establishing a framework for enabling what some have described as "the next

industrial revolution." Four years on, the act is up for reauthorization

As legislators grapple with how the nanotechnology landscape has changed in the intervening years, they face the complex task of

continuing to ensure U.S leadership in the development of

nanotechnologies that are successful, sustainable, and above all, safe

…Following the 2003 act, the federal government established two Centers for Nanotechnology in Society academic centers to explore the nano-social interface These centers one at Arizona State

University, the other at the University of California Santa Barbara have begun the long process of mapping out what issues nanotechnology raises, and the dynamics of how people respond to and engage in new nanotech developments This capacity to observe the social integration

of a new technology firsthand is a unique experiment in itself, and is providing new opportunities to develop an effective interplay between citizens and science As researchers at Arizona State University are discovering, this interplay is as much about helping scientists consider

a broader set of values in their work, as it is about enabling citizens to make informed decisions Both of these centers are in their infancy, and there is a long way to go before the academic becomes the

practical, leading to widespread and informed engagement in the social side of making nanotechnology work

Now more than ever, the future of nanotechnology hangs on

understanding the potential risks, managing them effectively, and engaging stakeholders in the decision-making process But this

progress will not happen spontaneously The country needs a strategy that ensures the right safety research is funded and that the results are translated into sound policy decisions; a plan for informing and

engaging people on the future course of the technology; and the

foresight to see what nanotechnology could become, and how to get there

http://www.thebulletin.org/columns/andrew-maynard/20080115.html

January 23, 2008

FDA Beginning to Address Nanotechnology Regulatory Concerns

Groundbreaking Technology Presents Vexing Issues, FDLI

Insighter Article Concludes

WASHINGTON Hundreds of nanotech products, including foods,

medicines and medical devices, now have reached the market, and their number will grow exponentially in the years ahead But the main regulating body, the Food and Drug Administration, is just beginning to address the unique issues presented by this groundbreaking

technology, according to an Insighter article, written by Beryl Lieff Benderly, posted on the Food and Drug Law Institute's website,

http://www.fdli.org

In a July 2007 report, a special FDA nanotechnology task force

concluded that, while the agency has the capability to meet these challenges, it needs to take specific action soon to get ready However, according to the Insighter article, FDA has not made public its plans for responding to the task force report "We are beginning the planning for the priority activities defined in the task force report," FDA

spokesperson Crystal Rice told FDLI

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?

ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-23-2008/0004741385&EDATE=

January 28, 2008

Nanotechnology risks assessed by

the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, whose 2008 Annual Meeting ended on Sunday, has founded the Global Risk Network in 2004 in response to concern that the international community and the global business community were not yet able to respond adequately to a changing global risk landscape The Program has moved forward in partnership with Citigroup, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Merrill Lynch, Swiss Re and the Center for Risk Management and Decision Processes, and Wharton School In an increasingly complex and interconnected global environment, risks can no longer be contained within geographical or system boundaries No one company, industry or state can

successfully understand and mitigate global risks The World Economic

Forum, with numerous links to business networks, policy-makers and government, NGOs and think-tanks, is in a unique position to advance new thinking on global risks, to generate risk mitigation measures and

to integrate current knowledge on global risks Over the past few

years, the Global Risk Network team has released an annual report This years' report "Global Risks 2008" was published two weeks ago In

it, as in previous years, nanotechnology was characterized as a global core risk

The report is based on input from a network of more than 100 top business leaders, decision-makers, scientists and other leading

academics convened throughout 2007 as part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Network The topics identified in the report were at the core of the agenda for this year's Annual Meeting

Although nanotechnology has been included in the "Core Risks" group,

it ranks well below the majority of risks both on the 'severity' and 'likelihood' scales The major focus of the Global Risks 2008 report is on four emerging issues which will impact the world economy and society

in the decade ahead: systemic financial risk; food security; supply chain vulnerability; and energy

http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=4246.php

January 23, 2008

The Strategic Risk of Nanotechnology

There has been much talk and hand-wringing about health and

environmental risks associated with nanotechnology, but fewer

discussions focus on what is termed "strategic risk." One definition of strategic risk, from a recent Ernst & Young report, is "[a] risk that could cause severe financial loss or fundamentally undermine the

competitive position of a company" (1) Regulators and NGOs pay attention to health risks, but strategic risks are the bread-and-butter of investors, insurers, Wall Street analysts, and corporate boards The insurance sector has been very clear that it views nanotechnology as a

looming issue Lloyd's Emerging Risks Team just issued a report on nano that noted that "due to the potential impact to the insurance industry if something were to go wrong, nanotechnology features very highly in Lloyd's top emerging risks" (2) Similarly, Zurich Insurance's Canadian office ranked nano in the top tier of emerging global risks (along with climate change and deteriorating infrastructure) (3)

All strategic risks are not created equal; they are affected by large macrotrends (such as geopolitics) and vary based on industry sector and the operating strategies of individual firms Strategic risk is also composed of both real and perceived components Since perceptions can drive investments, grow markets, or kill stock options, strategic risk analysis must consider public attitudes, media coverage, and consumer whims, which are often fluid and difficult to quantify

Since more and more sectors are now using nanotechnology in their products, it is worth beginning to sort out the strategic risks But how?

We could fall back on the work of the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who stipulated that, for many phenomena, 20 percent of the people or activities accounts for 80 percent of the results Most of the risk

associated with driving can be linked to errors made by a small number

of male, adolescent drivers; most of the risk associated with

developing lung cancer can be associated with smoking, even in

moderate amounts; etc So Pareto's Principle would suggest that a few sectors account for a bulk of the risk associated with nanotechnology (or a few firms, or a few products) But which ones?

http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=162

January 17, 2008

Marketing Nanotechnology Products

to Consumers - Why will they buy?

The consumer marketplace is becoming rich with nanotechnology-based or enhanced products In March 2006, the Project on Emerging

Nanotechnologies, a Washington, D.C initiative associated with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, released an

impressive list of nanotechnology consumer products that could be found in the marketplace from sunscreens to water repellant and stain-resistant clothing to gum, car wax, sporting equipment and

nanoparticle-laden cosmetics

They all suggest significant strides from the scientific perspective - but from the consumers' point of view the products are simply new or different versions of products in an already crowded marketplace Marketing these products successfully to today's consumers is not like

a field of dreams You may build it, but in reality they may not come

The single point of all innovation, and what's missing for the many consumer-oriented nanotechnology-based or enhanced products, is the creation of value for the consumer Unfortunately, the general public at large is either unaware of nanotechnology or doesn't care

http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=159

January 15, 2008

Blog: No Nanoparticles Were Killed

Writing This Post

The Soil Association, Britain’s largest certifier of organic products, issued a press release Tuesday proclaiming itself to be the “first

organization in the world to ban nanoparticles.” On closer inspection, that boiled down to the group saying it would not allow its organic label

to be used on any product containing synthetic particles with a mean size of less than 200 nanometers or a “basic” size — whatever that means — of less than 125 nanometers

The Soil Association conceded this is a largely theoretical

precautionary stand for now since no food products sold in Britain are currently advertised as containing such nano-additives The handful of

cosmetics that contain them, such as clear sunscreens that use nano-scale titanium dioxide particles to shield the skin from ultra-violet sunlight, do not claim to be organic But, the organization said,

initiative “goes to the core of the organic movement’s values of

protecting human health.”

The Soil Association’s concern, like that of many nanotechnology

critics, is that a variety of research studies have suggested ways that some man-made nanoparticles might be harmful The Soil Association expressed frustration that even though the British Government had issued a position paper three years ago urging a cautious approach, no regulations have been imposed to limit the use of nanoparticles in commerce or to require labeling on products using such particles

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/no-nanoparticles-were-killed-writing-this-post/

January 18, 2007

Nanotechnology and toxicity: the growing need for in vivo study

Toxicology is an interdisciplinary research field concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms It applies knowledge, methods and techniques from such fields as chemistry, physics, material sciences, pharmacy, medicine and molecular biology Toxicology established itself in the last 25-30 years as a testing science

in the course of efforts of industrial nations to regulate toxic chemicals Particle toxicology, as a subdiscipline, developed in the context of lung disease arising from inhalation exposure to dust particles of workers in the mining industry It later expanded to the area of air pollution With the rapid development of nanotechnology applications and materials, nanotoxicology is emerging as an important subdiscipline of

nanotechnology as well as toxicology Most, if not all, toxicological studies on nanoparticles rely on current methods, practices and

terminology as gained and applied in the analysis of micro- and

ultrafine particles and mineral fibers Together with recent studies on nanoparticles, this has provided an initial basis for evaluating the primary issues in a risk assessment framework for nanomaterials However, current toxicological knowledge about engineered

nanoparticles is extremely limited and traditional toxicology does not allow for a complete understanding of the size, shape, composition and aggregation-dependent interactions of nanostructures with biological systems An understanding of the relationship between the physical

and chemical properties of nanostructures and their in vivo behavior

would provide a basis for assessing toxic response and more

importantly could lead to predictive models for assessing toxicity

http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=4132.php

January 24, 2008

From zero to hero: the renaissance of

nanotechnology

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT) has published its 2008 Technology Predictions The study examines 10 emerging trends sure to have a major influence on the technology sector The report, which is available

as a free download here, includes recommendations from the DTT Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry group on how to take advantage of these emerging trends

One of the ten trends deals with nanotechnology DTT writes:

The public image of nanotechnology – the manipulation of matter at the atomic or molecular scale – has recently become tainted This is despite mass market use of nanotechnology-enabled products, from smoother sun cream to portable MP3 players and faster processors

The impact of nanotechnology on new or improved products and

services has already been significant and its potential remains

considerable Matter behaves in fundamentally different ways on the

nanometer scale Previously inert materials can be transformed into catalysts; solids can become liquids, even at room temperature;

insulators can become conductors According to advocates,

nanotechnology could even be the basis for the next industrial

revolution

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=4202.php

January 25, 2008

What Did We Learn?

As enjoyable as it can be to construct future histories and stories of what the coming years might hold, the goal of a scenario planning process is to help people make better decisions by giving them a sense

of the implications of different choices

Throughout 2007, the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology worked

on assembling a set of scenarios depicting a variety of near-term

futures in which molecular manufacturing — a nanoscale technology allowing atomically-precise, exponential production of physical objects

— becomes a reality The eight different scenarios we completed [1] offer a range of viewpoints about how such an advent of molecular manufacturing might occur As we've noted elsewhere [2], we chose a near-term setting not because we thought it would be the most likely, but because we thought it would be both the most disruptive to the status quo and the most amenable to a foresight process (i.e., not already subject to too many other changes to make useful scenarios impossible) Nonetheless, we believe that these near-term scenarios provide lessons applicable to longer-range possibilities as well

While the individual scenarios trigger their own particular conclusions, several insights arise from looking at the set of scenarios as a whole

http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=165

January 15, 2008

Carothers: A bottom-up approach to

nanotechnology safety

Cambridge – You know that stain-repellant necktie you saw at the store this holiday season? Well that very tie — which uses nanotechnology to enable that stain-resistant power – may be causing your hometown to take measures to require a warning label along with the sales receipt

Within the next month, a panel of advisers to the Department of Public Health in Cambridge will deliver a set of recommendations to the City Council on how to deal with nanotechnology firms operating inside the city’s boundaries

But Cambridge isn’t the first city to address uncertainties surrounding nanotech About a year ago the city of Berkeley, Calif., put in place the world’s first ordinance requiring nanotech firms to disclose their

activities Berkeley’s mayor explained the absence of federal action on nanotechnology forced the city’s hand: “If the federal government isn’t going to do anything, it is up to us to step up.”

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/opinions/x1295935520

January 2008