SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
With Prevalence of Nanomaterials Rising, Panel Urges Review of Risks
from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tiny substances called nanomaterials have moved into the marketplace over the last decade, in
products as varied as cosmetics, clothing and paint. But not enough is known about their
potential health and environmental risks, which should be studied further, an expert panel of the
National Academy of Sciences said on Wednesday.
Nanoscale forms of substances like silver, carbon, zinc and aluminum have many useful
properties. Nano zinc oxide sunscreen goes on smoothly, for example, and nano carbon is lighter
and stronger than its everyday or "bulk" form. But researchers say these products and others can
also be ingested, inhaled or possibly absorbed through the skin. And they can seep into the
environment during manufacturing or disposal.
Nanomaterials are engineered on the scale of a billionth of a meter, perhaps one
ten-thousandth the width of a human hair, or less. Not enough is known about the effects, if any,
that nanomaterials have on human health and the environment, according to a report issued by the
academy's expert panel. The report says that "critical gaps" in understanding have been
identified but "have not been addressed with needed research."
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