nano.foe.org.au blogs

FoE Australia at UNESCO expert meeting on nano and ethics (Paris, Nov 2006)

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:52:02 +0000

I was recently invited and attended an expert meeting on nanotechnology and ethics hosted by the UNESCO, Division of Ethics and Science and Technology in Paris (Nov 16/17th 2006). I was the only NGO representative amongst twenty invited 'experts'. Other participants included representatives of the Japanese, US, French, Dutch and EU governments, OECD and ISO representatives, as well as a selection of academics from Hungary, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Qatar and the UK. The purpose of the 2-day meeting was to comment on a draft of a policy advice on nanotechnology and ethics to UNESCO's World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific and Technical Knowledge (COMEST). You can read FoEA's comments on the draft paper here.

International Risk Governance Council Conference on Nanotechnology

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 01:14:11 +0000

In early July 2006 I was invited and journeyed as the FOE Australia Nanotechnology Projects representative to Zurich to participate in the International Risk Governance Council Conference on Nanotechnology. The purpose of the conference was for the invited speakers and conference participants to comment on the IRCG whitepaper on ‘Nanotechnology Risk Governance’

The IRGC is an interesting beast, its focus ‘is to help improve the anticipation and governance of global, systemic risks.’ Its main backers are the Swiss, US and Chinese (!) Government, Swiss Re, Allianz, E.ON Energie, ATEL and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

Bio to Nano: Technology, Risk & Democracy

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:57:13 +0000

The scientific and business community are still struggling to understand the global public rejection of genetically engineered (GE) foods, and with the growing discourse around the risks and disruptive impacts of nanotechnology, many are becoming increasingly worried that history is about to repeat itself.

Nanoparticles in suncream can stress brain cells

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:34:32 +0000

A new study by researchers at the US Environmental Protection Agency's research laboratories in North Carolina has found that nano particles used in some sun creams have the potential to cause neurological damage.

No nano in recalled 'Magic Nano'

Tue, 30 May 2006 05:51:41 +0000

Go figure? It turns out that ‘Magic Nano,’ the protective glass and bathroom sealant that was recalled in late March in Germany after causing severe breathing problems for some consumers, did not contain any nanoparticles. That’s according to Rene Zimmer of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin, quoted in an article in small times .

Size matters, public opinion doesn't

Mon, 08 May 2006 06:54:57 +0000

Canberra Times, 8th May 2006, by John Hepburn

The release last month of a Federal Government discussion paper on the development of a national nanotechnology strategy created ‘nano ripples’ throughout the community – so small as to be imperceptible to the human eye.

Self regulation of synthetic biology?

Thu, 04 May 2006 10:28:32 +0000

The Synthetic Biology Biology 2.0 conference on the 21st May in Berkeley, USA has released a public statement in support of self-governance of the emerging nanobiotechnology industry. In the lead up to the conference 35 civil society groups, including Friends of the Earth International, signed an open letter outlining urgent concerns surrounding synthetic biology. However the declaration by the synthetic biologists failed to address key concerns, including the ethical problems of nanobiotechnology, broader environmental risks and the socio-economic and human rights implications of its use.

First ever nano product recall

Mon, 01 May 2006 21:22:00 +0000

Early this year saw the first ever reported case of a nano product recall as a result of health problems. In Germany, there were 97 reported cases of serious respiratory problems and six people were hospitalized in late March after using the nanotech bathroom cleaner "Magic Nano".

Is nano the new creationism?

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 08:08:20 +0000

Have you ever watched a child carefully taking apart their favourite toy, only to find that they can’t for the life of them put it back together again? It’s a phenomenon that’s as old as humpty dumpty and as old as the enlightenment.

700 nanoproducts on the market & no labels!

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 03:28:23 +0000

By Rye Senjen 27/4/06

A funny thing happened yesterday.... I was having lunch at home and the phone rings: ring ring... my friend Anna called (not her real name), on her mobile no less. She was in a shop trying to buy some face cream.

"Did I perhaps know wether the xyz brand contained those nano particles I always talked about, you know the ones that caused brain cancer in fish or whatever"

What sort of nano regulation do we want?

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 12:57:58 +0000

The defining characteristic of an effective nano regulator will be the requirement the burden of proof be on proponents to demonstrate safety.

Any regulatory framework should ensure that:

● all nano-materials and products are subjected to rigorous health and environmental impact assessment, including evidence based testing, prior to their release into the environment;

● due to the radically altered characteristics of nano materials compared to their larger scale counterparts, nano materials should be assessed as new substances, even where the properties of larger scale counterparts are well-known;

Defining Nanotechnology out of existence

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 13:08:56 +0000

Q. What is Nanotechnology?

A. It is a breathtaking area of scientific inquiry that is going to redefine life on earth. It is about working with the building blocks of matter - at a nano scale - one billionth of a meter?

Q. What are the implications of Nantoechnology?

A. It is going to be the basis of the next industrial revolution.

Q. Is there any need for regulation of nanotechnology in order to manage the various health and environmental risks that have been identified by groups like the Royal Society?

A. Oh, well, you see, strictly speaking, Nanotechnology doesn't really exist...

In the languate of politics, drivel, gobbledegook and nonsense abound. Weasel words allow politicians and decisions makers to get out of the tighetest of corners and the language used to describe nanotechnology is no exception. To quote from George Orwell from his classic 'the politics of language', written in 1946 - "This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. As soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of
speech that are not hackneyed: prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse."