Nano-utopia
2006/12/14 Carton Virto, Eider - Elhuyar Zientzia
From the point of view of marketing, it is a more attractive concept: modern, sophisticated, pointer, futuristic... everything has on the perfect side and is increasingly used to sell products. The American organization Woodrow Wilson, for example, collected 212 products in an inventory published at the beginning of the year that advertised the use of nanotechnology, twice the number recorded in 2005 by another study. This inventory included products of all kinds: computer products, appliances, clothing, sports equipment, cosmetic products, etc.
The list was completed with Internet searches and is an estimate, since it is not possible to catalog all products using nanotechnology, since in principle it is not necessary to register them. However, according to the inventory, it was indicated that nanotechnology could be more present on the label than in products, that is, nanotechnology is a growing value in the advertising market and that, aware of this, it has doubled because companies have highlighted this characteristic of the product.
It seems, however, that nanotechnology has become a fleeting star of the advertising market. And since the summer, the reflection on the risks that can behave has taken center stage. Is nanotechnology safe for health? Will it harm the environment?
Nanotechnology uses particles at the scale of atoms and molecules, and most concerns come from that diminutitude. For example, it should be noted that the properties of the materials may vary with size, so not being harmful on a large scale cannot simply be considered valid on the nanoscale. It is also suspected that nanoparticles do not "travel" as larger particles and that they may be able to exceed limits for others. A classic example is moving from blood to brain by slots too small for others. Or reach the lungs through the airways causing damage.
Some therefore propose that nanoparticles be studied as totally new compounds and specifically regulated. In this area practically everything is to be done, but it seems that all the agents of the sector are interested in working. Everyone wants to regulate, ensure safety, develop, research and evaluate the means to measure potential risks.
It seems that companies are concerned that they believe that mistrust in nanotechnology can spread in society and limit the development of the sector. They do not want to make way for genetically modified foods and are taking steps to make it a safe sector and for society to take it.
In this regard, experts from the organization Woodrow Wilson have launched a proposal to develop nanotechnology for fifteen years, detailing the work that should be done and the dates on which nanotechnology should be carried out so that it is safe for workers, consumers and the environment. The objective is to develop technologies, models and programs that allow measuring and predicting the effects of nanotechnology on health and the environment. They have brought the proposal to three pages, but if written on paper is carried out, the nanotechnology revolution will not be just technological. They will get utopia.
Published in Berria
