December 31, 2008

Passing the buckyball



"For the more than 800 consumer products using nanotechnology, the NRC has said that no federal agency including FDA and EPA "has failed to prove that the diminutive particles are not dangerous." Plain english: we don't know if they are safe and they are out in the marketplace for us to discover. Read it here.
Click the picture for "studies showing that they can cross the blood-brain barrier and alter cell functions, which raises a lot of questions about their toxicity and what impact they may have if released into the environment."

On my side of the border, Health Canada is using regulatory frameworks drafted before the technology was introduced: "Currently, the Department is using the existing legislative and regulatory frameworks to regulate applications of nanotechnology, but it is recognized that new approaches may be necessary in the future to keep pace with the advances in this area". here

2 comments:

Ruth Trowbridge said...

this was very difficult to read, i read the links, i can't believe it - am shaking and tearing - how many more assaults are we expected to take?

thanks for bringing this to my attention Anne, i will be passing it on

Peace for all

anne said...

There should be an immediate moratorium on the release of products of nanotechnology until research has proven its safety and regulations are in place to protect both the environment and consumers. That is why I posted it Rose and, although I feel sorry to be a "bringer of bad news" there is a lot of serious questions about the safety of this stuff and I believe we need speak about it.