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Despite safety concerns, nanotechnology research continues
In Rushford, Minnesota, a company known as Rushford Hypersonic is embracing nanotechnology.
"It's the next generation," said Rushford CEO Daniel Fox. "It's what's coming. Nanotech does not need to be done by just big corporations like IBM and Ford. If we don't do it, we're going to be left behind because the rest of the world is really pushing it."
Nanotechnology is used to describe any endeavor utilizing tiny particles less than100 nanometers in size. Applications for the technology include medicine, household goods, and energy. However, some concerns have been raised about the safety of nanoparticles. Some studies have theorized that nanoparticles could pose the same risks to human health as asbestos, a material that can cause mesothelioma in some people. Mesothelioma, a rare cancer, is just one of many ailments caused by asbestos exposure (and could perhaps also be caused by inhaling nanoparticles). It has also been reported that nano-size carbon and silver particles can reach the brain if inhaled.
However, because the technology is so new, both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration have yet to define and catalog the risks associated with nanotechnologies. "The lack of clear regulations really keeps companies from finding markets," said Mark Bunger, a research director for Lux Research in San Francisco.
"They're also not looking for product improvements they could get out of nanotechnology. If consumers aren't sure about it and the regulators aren't sure about it, then sellers of nano materials can't find buyers."
Filing a lawsuit against a nanotechnology company could be hard because of the lack of regulations, according to Albert Lin, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. ''We don't know exactly what the risks are," Lin said.
"If there is a risk, can we trace it back to the parties that are liable? We are at the beginning stages...companies are beginning to think about it. They are worried about their reputation and legal liability. One bad incident could set back the field."