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Is Nanotech Safe or Dangerous?

Posted March 29, 2008 8:27 AM

Nanotechnology has the potential to create a new world of products and solutions. But is it really safe? What does the average person understand about Nanotech? How can the Nanotech industry educate the public or risk being banned like genetically modified organisms were in Europe. What is nanotech's potential impact on privacy, the environment, and human health? Are Luddites fighting progress, or do they have legitimate scientific concerns?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electrical Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electrical Components today.


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Active Contributor
United States - Member - Popular Science - Cosmology - Uber Newbie

Join Date: Apr 2007
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#1

Re: Is Nanotech Safe or Dangerous?

03/29/2008 6:13 PM

Nanotechnology is the future, but like everything else, it needs to be managed responsibly..........and we all know how well these things are "managed".....

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#2

Re: Is Nanotech Safe or Dangerous?

03/30/2008 12:09 AM

The Europeans are paranoid about genetic engineering, non-organic farming and irradiated food. Yes, there are risks with any technology, that have to be counterbalanced by enough benefits to make using it acceptable. The most vocal are the Luddite types and they whip up fear and hysteria among the unknowing masses who do not trust government and science.

There are great benefits as well as great dangers in almost any technology, nanotech included. We must be cautious, but we must do it.

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#3

Re: Is Nanotech Safe or Dangerous?

03/30/2008 12:37 PM

Everything necessary is dangerous one way or another depending on use,

or the location and concentration. Fire is better controled in the home, than on the Sun for instance.

Cats Cradle by Kurk Vonnequt addresses the dangers of technology with the Ice Nine, which freezes the whole world, instead of just the mud roads for tank travel.

Plastics and their estogen mimicing affects on youngsters are turning us all into women, or hermaphrodites apparently, who knows what nanotech will do? The law of unintended consequences will always show up as evidence somewhere.

I suggest moderation on both sides of the debate, and would not make my mind up unless I could trust the facts. Never would I believe anything to be universally harmless, except maybe love, which I know of partially imperfect and time sensitive for certain facts certainly when irrational passions are aroused.

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#4

Re: Is Nanotech Safe or Dangerous?

03/30/2008 7:06 PM

It has to do with the people who use it.

I went to a university a few years ago, the university torn down a bunch of student family apartments to build a world class nanotechnology center. Not a dime was spent on dust abatement, you could see young mothers strolling their babies nearby being pelted with dust blowing off the worksite. This does not bode well for the future.

Meanwhile, as an older student at this university who places the demographics of youth at the highest level, I was being covertly attacked with the crowd control weapon recently discussed on '60 minutes'. I guess I was one of the 11000 people they used for 'field testing'.

Technology that can be covertly used to violate human rights is being used, and the United State is in the forefront. Victims of this technology are intended to be funneled into the corrupt mental heath system, it is Enron accounting on human souls.

Or another name for it is Biblical Level Sorcery.

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Join Date: Jul 2008
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#5

Re: Is Nanotech Safe or Dangerous?

07/29/2008 2:43 AM

Much of chemistry is based on the size of the molecules involved. We don't have much experience with chemistry at these molecule sizes. There may be a number of nano particles made up of molecules which are normally safe. At nanoscale levels, those safe particles may interact with molecules they didn't previously interact with.

I'd guess that some of these interactions will turn out to be fatal while most will be harmless. Personally, I'm not reassured by the EPA's response to these concerns. It tends to sound like the EPA will wait until something goes wrong before taking any action.

Gabe

http://blogs.controltheorypro.com/

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