Nanotechnology Accuracy Of Data On Federally Funded Environmental Health And Safety Research Could Be Improved

The Nat. Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) is a multi-agency effort intended to coordinate the nanotechnology-related activities of 25 fed. agencies that fund nanoscale research or have a stake in the results. Nanotechnology is the ability to control matter at the scale of a nanometer -- one billionth of a meter. A key research area relates to potential environmental, health, and safety risks that may result from exposure to nanoscale materials. This report determines: the extent to which selected agencies conducted such research in FY 2006; the reasonableness of the agencies... and the NNI's processes to identify and prioritize such fed. research; and the effectiveness of the agencies¿ and the NNI's process to coordinate this research. Includes recommend. Illus.

In March 2008, a report was issued which reviewed the Nat. Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), a multi-agency effort. The NNI coordinates the nanotechnology-related activities of 25 federal agencies that fund nano-scale research or have a stake in the results. A key research area related to studying the potential environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks that may result from exposure to nano-scale materials. Here is a summary of the findings of the 3/08 report, focusing on: (1) the extent to which selected agencies conducted EHS research in FY2006; (2) the reasonableness of the agencies¿ and the NNI¿s processes to identify and prioritize EHS research; and (3) the effectiveness of the agencies¿ and the NNI¿s process to coordinate EHS research.

This new book from the National Research Council finds serious weaknesses in the government's plan for research on the potential health and environmental risks posed by nanomaterials, which are increasingly being used in consumer goods and industry. An effective national plan for identifying and managing potential risks is essential to the successful development and public acceptance of nanotechnology-enabled products. The book recommends a robust national strategic plan for addressing nanotechnology-related EHS risks, which will need to focus on promoting research that can assist all stakeholders, including federal agencies, in planning, controlling, and optimizing the use of engineered nanomaterials while minimizing EHS effects of concern to society. Such a plan will ensure the timely development of engineered nanoscale materials that will bring about great improvements in the nation's health, its environmental quality, its economy, and its security.

Nanotechnology involves the ability to control matter at the scale of a nanometer -- one billionth of a meter. The world market for products that contain nanomaterials is expected to reach $2.6 trillion by 2015. This report: (1) identified examples of current and potential uses of nanomaterials; (2) determined what is known about the potential human health and environmental risks from nanomaterials; (3) assessed actions EPA has taken to better understand and regulate the risks posed by nanomaterials as well as its authorities to do so; and (4) identified approaches that other selected national authorities and actions U.S. states have taken to address the potential risks associated with nanomaterials. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

The rise of collaborative consumption, peer-to-peer systems, and not-for-profit social enterprise heralds the emergence of a new era of human collectivity. Increasingly, this consolidation stems from an understanding that big-banner issues—such as climate change—are not the root causes of our present global predicament. There is a growing and collective view that issues such as this are actually symptoms of a much more vicious, seemingly insurmountable condition: our addiction to economic, consumption, and population growth in a world of finite resources. Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability uses nanotechnology—the product of applied scientific knowledge to control and utilize matter at atomic and molecular scales—as a lens through which to explore the interrelationship between innovation, politics, economy, and sustainability. This groundbreaking book addresses how stakeholders can actively reshape agendas to create positive and sustainable futures through this latest controversial, cross-sectoral technology. It moves beyond issues of efficiency, productivity, and utility, exploring the insights of 22 contributors from around the world, whose work spans the disciplines of science and the humanities. Their combined knowledge, reinforced with various case studies, introduces an exciting prospect—how we can innovate without economic growth. This new volume in the Perspectives in Nanotechnology series is edited by Dr. Donald Maclurcan and Dr. Natalia Radywyl. Dr. Maclurcan is a social innovator and Honorary Research Fellow with the Institute for Nanoscale Technology at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Dr. Radywyl is a social researcher and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. This book is written for a wide audience and will be of particular interest to activists, scholars, policy makers, scientists, business professionals, and others who seek an understanding of how we might justly transition to sustainable societies.

The nanotechnology sector, which generated about $225 billion in product sales in 2009, is predicted to expand rapidly over the next decade with the development of new technologies that have new capabilities. The increasing production and use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) may lead to greater exposures of workers, consumers, and the environment, and the unique scale-specific and novel properties of the materials raise questions about their potential effects on human health and the environment. Over the last decade, government agencies, academic institutions, industry, and others have conducted many assessments of the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) aspects of nanotechnology. The results of those efforts have helped to direct research on the EHS aspects of ENMs. However, despite the progress in assessing research needs and despite the research that has been funded and conducted, developers, regulators, and consumers of nanotechnology-enabled products remain uncertain about the types and quantities of nanomaterials in commerce or in development, their possible applications, and their associated risks. A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials presents a strategic approach for developing the science and research infrastructure needed to address uncertainties regarding the potential EHS risks of ENMs. The report summarizes the current state of the science and high-priority data gaps on the potential EHS risks posed by ENMs and describes the fundamental tools and approaches needed to pursue an EHS risk research strategy. The report also presents a proposed research agenda, short-term and long-term research priorities, and estimates of needed resources and concludes by focusing on implementation of the research strategy and evaluation of its progress, elements that the committee considered integral to its charge.

Reviews the FDA¿s strategic planning and mgmt. Leading practices in this area include developing strategies to address mgmt. challenges and results-oriented performance measures, aligning activities and resources to strategic goals, and enhancing the use of performance info. The report examined the extent to which: (1) FDA's Strategic Action Plan contains strategies to address its mgmt. challenges, and the progress FDA has reported in addressing those challenges; (2) FDA's annual performance measures are results-oriented; (3) FDA has aligned its activities and resources to support its strategic goals; and (4) FDA managers report using performance info. in decision making and applying key practices to encourage that use. Illustrations.

This new book from the National Research Council finds serious weaknesses in the government's plan for research on the potential health and environmental risks posed by nanomaterials, which are increasingly being used in consumer goods and industry. An effective national plan for identifying and managing potential risks is essential to the successful development and public acceptance of nanotechnology-enabled products. The book recommends a robust national strategic plan for addressing nanotechnology-related EHS risks, which will need to focus on promoting research that can assist all stakeholders, including federal agencies, in planning, controlling, and optimizing the use of engineered nanomaterials while minimizing EHS effects of concern to society. Such a plan will ensure the timely development of engineered nanoscale materials that will bring about great improvements in the nation's health, its environmental quality, its economy, and its security.