As with any new technology, scientists are evaluating relative benefits and risks. In particular, because nanoengineered materials can be created molecule by molecule, researchers want to assess their potential effects on human health and the environment.
Researchers in North Carolina are among those leading the effort to identify and mitigate any environmental risks posed by nanomaterials. Dr. Mark Wiesner, a civil and environmental engineer at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering, heads a group of researchers who study environmental impacts of new materials, including nanomaterials.
The results of their work were recently published in a book, Environmental Nanotechnology. In the book, Wiesner and his co-authors discuss the potential impact of nanomaterials on the environment and suggest new methods for developing nanomaterials with less environmental risk. Their research stresses that nanotechnology can be used safely if we understand the potential risks and take steps to minimize them.
“This work is important because these are new materials with properties that make them different from their bulk counterparts,” Wiesner explained. Since these nanomaterials have unique properties, they may behave differently than non-engineered materials when they are introduced into the environment. “Risk assessment─taking all the information we have and trying to predict the potential risk to the environment─is really the end game” of his research, he says.
He noted that we should be aware of the whole range of short-term and long-term implications of nanotechnology development. Among the measures he considers most pressing are ensuring that we have reliable methods to measure nanoparticles and to monitor their behavior in the environment.
The tiny particles tend easily to form compounds with other materials in the environment. At this stage, said Wiesner, it is difficult predict how these compounds may impact the environment. He stresses the importance of ongoing research to make sure businesses, consumers, and the environment collectively benefit from the results of nanotechnology.
Wiesner is one of several researchers across the country who recognize the importance of studying nanotechnology’s potential impact on the environment. The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is a federal program established to coordinate efforts in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Representatives from agencies participating in the NNI recently issued a report outlining research needs in the area of potential environmental and health hazards that may arise from the manufacture, release and disposal of nanomaterials.
The principal federal agency charged with environmental protection, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), participated in this effort. At the EPA, scientists are being proactive to ensure that businesses and consumers will benefit from safe nanotechnology products. “The EPA has a mandate to protect human health and the environment” said Dr. Nora Savage, an environmental engineer with the agency in Washington, D.C.
Since nanotechnology is such a new field, scientists will be able to research the potential hazards at different stages. “Understanding the potential benefits and risks associated with any emerging technology is crucial. With nanomaterials, we have the opportunity to study the effects over the entire life cycle of the product─from laboratory research through manufacture to disposal,” she added.
Savage is leading a research team that will chart a strategic research approach in nanotechnology over the next seven years. The EPA, which has a branch in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, is working with the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies to make sure that all aspects of health and environmental risks are studied.
Unlike other materials, the potential hazard is not likely to depend on the mass (amount) of nanoengineered materials, but rather on the type of nanomaterial and its interaction with the surrounding environment. Wiesner and Savage agree that before rushing into the issue of regulations, the challenge lies in identifying whether and which nanomaterials are potentially hazardous, how to measure them reliably, and how to minimize potentially hazardous effects.
Given these challenges, how can a business enterprise meet the growing demand for nanoengineered materials and still take measures to be socially and environmentally responsible?
Many businesses are already finding answers to this important question. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, is discussing approaches to safe nanotechnology and invites suggestions and feedback from business leaders. Until more is known about the potential health hazards of working with nanoengineered materials, NIOSH encourages businesses to practice interim precautionary measures such as wearing protective clothing.
Despite the potential risks associated with nanotechnology, Wiesner stressed that many potentially hazardous technologies─such as electricity and X-ray technology─are today being used safely on a widespread basis to make our lives better. The challenge for the scientific endeavor is to ensure that nanotechnogy’s potential negative impacts are minimized and its positive applications maximized.
